00:00Do you think, Kevin, do you think that Kevin Durant and LeBron James have sold the sport like Kobe and
00:08Michael Jordan?
00:09Give me your perspective on how you think that they have promoted the NBA compared.
00:14Now, I'm going to sound like, oh, man, get off my lawn here a little bit.
00:16But do you think these modern day guys have promoted the sport?
00:22Well, let's remember this.
00:23OK, back then, you know, especially with Michael Jordan and a little bit with Kobe, there wasn't social media and
00:31there wasn't the back and forth that went on online every single day that these guys were dealing with.
00:36And as we know, Kevin Durant is a little sensitive about some of those things that are said about him.
00:41Now, kudos to those guys for what they have done for the league and how they've done it.
00:46But you have to remember, Michael Jordan, he really embraced being the face of the league.
00:55He embraced being the most popular person on the planet at one point.
00:59He really was.
01:00Every time you saw a promo or every time you watched a game, it was be like Mike.
01:04And Kobe had the same ambitions until they were derailed.
01:08And I think that, you know, that was part of what Kobe wanted to do.
01:11He wanted to follow that kind of same path as Michael Jordan.
01:15But when you really look back, I mean, no one.
01:18And I hate this argument.
01:20I hate this argument about who was greater.
01:22No one was better than Michael Jordan.
01:27Let's just leave that there.
01:28Don't stop.
01:29Just everybody stop.
01:30What Michael did for a franchise, how hard he played in night in and night out.
01:35And he was the greatest player.
01:39And let's say this.
01:41He was the greatest player that I have ever seen.
01:44And having covered him, covered the finals, covered him in Utah.
01:47I was there for that last shot.
01:51Michael was different.
01:52And that is not disparaging LeBron.
01:55And why people get on that whole tangent about you're disparaging LeBron.
01:59What LeBron James has done is nothing short of miraculous.
02:02The play and at the level, at the age he is.
02:05And this is the thing about LeBron we have to remember.
02:09This kid has had the spotlight on him since he was 16 years old.
02:14And you know what?
02:15There hasn't been a major scandal.
02:17He has represented the USA, the NBA, and the game of basketball so incredibly well.
02:23He has been a spokesperson for Nike and done a beautiful job for them.
02:27Sold a ton of shoes.
02:28So we're not trying to disparage him.
02:30You just have to remember, the first guy is always the greatest guy.
02:34And Michael came before LeBron.
02:37And what he did laid the groundwork for LeBron.
02:40The sneaker deals and everything wouldn't be there if it wasn't for Michael.
02:44How about this too, Kevin?
02:45You know, I had a couple times where I got a chance to interview Michael Jordan.
02:49He had something in his contract.
02:51And I asked him.
02:52He had a clause in his contract that said the love of the game.
02:55Which meant that he could play any single time he wanted.
02:58And nobody could ever pull him out.
03:01I mean, the love of the game.
03:03I mean, I just wonder, how many guys today have that love of the game?
03:07I don't know if anybody has that in their contract.
03:10But I know that Michael will play anybody, anywhere, anytime because he's that competitive.
03:15If you say a word to him about golf, he will walk out on a golf course tonight and play
03:20you for money.
03:21Michael is a competitive individual who absolutely loved competing.
03:26And that's where the love of the game clause comes from.
03:29You would see him back at Carolina taking on people when he shot Space Jam.
03:33He had those, you know, epic, incredible, historic runs on the lot in that gym that they built.
03:40So, I mean, Michael was a different kind of person because he wanted all people, all comers at all times.
03:48And he didn't care.
03:49And it was a miracle that he never really, really, really got hurt besides breaking his foot when he was
03:55young.
03:55So, you know, it's different now.
03:58And there's so much money.
04:00And there are so many people in their pockets.
04:02And there's so many entities.
04:03If I take you back to when Michael was in the league, you know, David Falk was his agent.
04:08But no one spoke for Michael Jordan.
04:10Michael Jordan spoke for Michael Jordan.
04:12And so I think that that's another interesting fact that, you know, Michael was like, I'll be on the court.
04:17I'm going to try and win.
04:19And no one speaks for me.
04:20No one.
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