LeBron James Or Michael Jordan? Tiger Woods Addresses Basketball's Greatest Debate

Tiger Woods is not only considered one of the greatest golfers of all time, but a global sporting icon for his achievements on the golf course in the last two decades.

The American 14-time major winner, who is no stranger to talks about the “greatest of all time (GOAT),” weighed in on the ongoing debate about whether Michael Jordan or LeBron James is the GOAT in men’s basketball.

The former Chicago Bulls shooting guard is widely considered the greatest player to ever play the game but his position is being challenged by the Cleveland Cavaliers small forward, who does not stop reaching new levels every time he steps on to the court.

The debate was reignited after James led the Cavaliers to yet another Eastern Conference final after sweeping the regular season number one seed – the Toronto Raptors – 4-0 in the playoff semi-finals. James top-scored in each of the four games, which included two buzzer beating shots, in order to drag his team to the summit clash in the East.

The four-time MVP’s individual efforts to propel his team forward have constantly garnered comparison with Jordan, who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships. The Cavaliers are looking to make their third straight NBA Final.

James’ individual records are still not on par with Jordan’s but he has won everything the former Bulls shooting guard won during his career and Woods believes they are both great, but in “different ways”.

“They're both great in different ways," Woods said during his pre-tournament press conference at The Players Championship on Tuesday, as quoted on USA Today. "I think that, if you look at MJ, he was a prolific scorer and played defense like no other. He was always First Team All-Defense. But LeBron's different. He's like a hybrid of MJ and Magic (Johnson), which is so different, because he's bringing the ball up a lot. MJ never really did that.”

"He had (Scottie Pippen) as a point-forward a lot of times and you would think that's kind of LeBron-ish. But they're very different in how they help both teams. What MJ did, getting to the Finals and dominating the league like he did, he did it in a different way than LeBron's doing it, just because of the nature of their body, the build, their game and their mental make-up,” he added.

The American golf icon also spoke about what separates the likes of James and Jordan from the rest. Woods can also be included in the list owing to his domination of golf for over a decade since his first major win at the 1997 Masters, where he won by 12-strokes.

"What separates those people ... like LeBron, or what I'm thinking of with MJ or (Wayne) Gretzky, it's just the duration," Woods said. "They're able to do it, not just for one year, not just for one game, not just for a little spell. They're able to do it for a number of years and accumulate highlights that we will always look at. They're peppered in our memories.”

"What LeBron has done for what, 15 seasons now? It's just remarkable. It's that type of longevity, and to be able to be up for that long a period of time, and to be able to adjust as well. We all know, as we age, we're not going to be as athletic as we used to be. You have to do it different ways. To be fluid and adjust and still be that talented and that good? Hats off to, not just LeBron, but the people I just named."