"They call him Jesus" - LeBron James' ex-Heat teammate who said he was not feared by peers raves about Michael Jordan's reputation 

Former NBA point guard Mario Chalmers sang Michael Jordan's praises when he appeared on the "Above the Rim with DH 12" podcast. During his playing career, Chalmers became a part of one of the most iconic eras in basketball history — the Miami Heat "big three."

During that time, Chalmers got to experience what it was like to play with Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. After their playing days, Chalmers caught flak for saying nobody feared James.

During his appearance on the podcast on Sunday, Chalmers' infamous statement was revisited. The show's hosts mentioned that the ex-NBA point guard caught much heat from it and allowed him to clarify.

"It's the truth," Chalmers said (Timestamp: 56:17). "I ain't tell no lies, I ain't say nothing about the (LeBron James') character. It's nothing personal, this is just what NBA players witness. I'm an NBA player, I played 10 years, I've been on two teams, I played against 450 different players for 10 years.

"So to hear people talk and have these conversations with different people, even people that played before me, they be like (Michael) Jordan, it was a fear, like they called him Jesus. They call him black cat like it's a different model that you have or a different stigma that comes with Michael Jordan. That ain't got nothing to do with Bron."

Mario Chalmers made his infamous statement regarding LeBron James in an interview with "Playmaker" in 2023. In the interview, Chalmers said that nobody feared James prior to battling against him. He clarified that players were actually afraid when they lined up against him, they just didn't have any fear when thinking about playing against James.

He then compared the situation to Michael Jordan. He said that players who played against Jordan talked about him with a certain level of fear.

Mario Chalmers later clarified what he meant to Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson, citing that LeBron James lost in the NBA finals and Michael Jordan did not. This distinction is why players feared Jordan over James.

He added that players still feared James when they lined up against him because he had something to prove when he joined the Heat.

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Scottie Pippen hailed LeBron James as a great player before taking a dig at Michael Jordan

Some fans might think it's bizarre for Mario Chalmers to put Michael Jordan over LeBron James. After all, Chalmers ended up winning two titles thanks largely to what James did.

However, that's probably not the most bizarre situation regarding the GOAT debate between James and Jordan. That goes to Scottie Pippen, who hails LeBron James as a better player than Jordan.

Pippen made this shocking statement on the 131st episode of the "Gimme the Hot Sauce Podcast" hosted by Stacey King, which premiered on May 26, 2023. He mentioned that James filled the stat sheet every game he played, which is why he ranks him above Jordan in this regard.

He then said he thinks there's no such thing as a great player because basketball is a team game. He then used Jordan as an example of this.

"I've seen Michael Jordan play before I came to the Bulls, you guys have seen him play," Pippen said (Timestamp: 1:21:13). "He was a horrible player. He was horrible to play with. He was all one-on-one, he's shooting bad shots."

Jordan and Pippen were teammates on the Chicago Bulls from the 1987-88 season to 1997-98. When Pippen finally broke out and became an All-Star caliber player, the Bulls also became a legitimate title contender.

As teammates, he and Jordan dominated the league, winning six championships together.