“MJ never really did that” – When Tiger Woods was asked to pick between LeBron James and Michael Jordan as the GOAT

Tiger Woods is the GOAT in the golf world and has the silverware to prove it. Woods is often compared to other great athletes in the world, with basketball legend Michael Jordan and LeBron James among them.

While it has been established that Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer in history, the GOAT debate is long from settled in basketball. While many back Michael Jordan as the greatest basketballer to ever live, others claim LA Lakers star LeBron James takes the top spot.

Even Tiger Woods has his own view on the debate.

2022 NBA All-Star Game

Tiger Woods comments on the Michael Jordan - LeBron James debate

Woods was speaking at a press conference in 2018 when he was asked if he looked up to great players from other sports. Replying to a query on whether he looked at LeBron James' accomplishments in awe, Tiger Woods said that he respected all the greats in various sports.

The golfer referenced Michael Jordan along with LeBron James and said that the longevity of their careers is what makes them great. Tiger Woods said:

“I think ‘being great’ is doing something nobody else can do. What separates those people… is just the duration. They will do it, not just for one year, not just for one game, not just for a spell, they’ll do it for a number of years and accumulate highlights we will always look at.”

When asked to make his pick in the MJ-LeBron debate, Tiger Woods said that the players were incomparable as they had different ways of winning. He said:

“They are both great in different ways. Look at MJ, he was a prolific scorer and played defence like no other. Always first-team all-defence. But LeBron is different. He’s like a hybrid of MJ and Magic (Johnson), which is so different because he brings the ball up a lot. MJ never really did that, I mean he had pip as a point forward a lot of times… They’re both very different in how they both help their teams.”

He added:

“I think what MJ did, you know… getting to the finals, dominating the league like he did… he did it in a different way than LeBron is doing it. It’s because of the nature of their body, their build, their game and their mental makeup. At the end of the day, they both win and they are both guys we look at and say ‘it’s unbelievable what they’re doing, just changing the game’… They both have done it.”

LeBron James calls himself the greatest, not MJ

The LeBron- MJ debate is never-ending but the athletes themselves have some opinions on the topic. While James firmly believes that the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2016 championship win makes him the greatest of all time.

It should be noted that the four-time MVP led the Cavs to a stunning 1-3 comeback, which was hailed by his fans as being the greatest move in the history of the sport.

Michael Jordan, on the other hand, is diplomatic when it comes to the debate. While addressing the media, MJ talked about the hotly-contested issue and said that the two couldn’t be compared. The legendary basketballer lauded his rival and stated that 'it is what it is' when it comes to comparisons.