"Michael Jordan would rip your heart out and show it to you pumping" - Rich Eisen on how Jordan is different from LeBron James, saying the latter doesn't "toy with" his opposition

For most basketball fans, the Michael Jordan vs LeBron James debate has taken a new and significant twist following the LA Lakers’ mind-numbing explosion. LA’s star-studded lineup was a heavy favorite to win the title but ended up being one of the biggest busts in NBA history. Instead of James cementing his status in the G.O.A.T. talks, many fans who were undecided have made MJ the undisputed best-ever.

Former NBA player Rex Chapman and veteran sports analyst Rich Eisen weighed in on the raging talks comparing LeBron James and Michael Jordan. Chapman admitted to being a bit biased and named the six-time champion his G.O.A.T. According to him, MJ would even toy with his opponents before going for the kill.

Rich Eisen wholeheartedly agrees with the erstwhile NBA player:

“I don’t know if we could sit here and say LeBron toys with anybody…He is stupendous. He’s gonna wind up the greatest scorer in the history of the game and a champion and an all-time great and all of those things and accolades he deserves. When it comes down to it, I just remember Michael Jordan would rip your heart out and show it to you pumping and then put it back in, surgically repair it and do it again.”

Rich Eisen is basing his evaluation on what he has seen covering football and basketball over the years. He monitored Michael Jordan in his heyday and has covered LeBron James, including the Akron, Ohio native’s high school games.

For both of them, they would call LeBron James a bit more “empathetic,” which Chapman would say was a “weakness,” given how competitive the NBA is. Michael Jordan, on the other hand, played the game with cutthroat ruthlessness. He would go out of his way to intimidate opponents and bury them with every chance he gets.

The iconic Chicago Bulls superstar is well-known for taking things personally. Taking things too personal has become his trademark, which is partly why they've become hilarious memes. This no-holds-barred approach also rubbed people the wrong way, but it was a trait that made “His Airness” a basketball god in the eyes of most fans.

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The Michael Jordan-LeBron James G.O.A.T. discussion is not ending anytime soon

Some basketball fans consider Michael Jordan's competitiveness as his biggest edge over LeBron James. [Photo: Sporting News]

Michael Jordan played until he was forty on practically one leg. Even at that age, he was still as fiercely competitive as ever, demanding to practice every time and play all 82 games in his last season. In several games during his farewell campaign, he was still getting buckets and humiliating defenders almost half his age.

LeBron James is slowing down a bit, but he’s only 37 and was clearly the LA Lakers’ best player this season. “King James,” however, has been beset with a few nagging injuries that have prevented him from playing as much as he wanted to.

With the LA Lakers’ horrific season on the books, LeBron James could come back stronger next campaign and add more fuel to the seemingly unending best-ever conversation.