Chicago — Legendary Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan played 172 games inside the United Center during his NBA career.
But Friday night, it will be a handful of Kansas Jayhawks who are the best-known names inside Jordan’s former home arena.
Still, with His Airness being a global icon whose greatness has transcended generations, a handful of Jayhawks were asked this week about the opportunity to play on the same floor Jordan once dominated late in his Hall of Fame career.
At least one of them wasn’t impressed.
“Did you see LeBron (James) dropped a 38-point triple-double yesterday,” KU junior Christian Braun said with a smirk on Tuesday afternoon. “I’m a big LeBron fan.”
The GOAT debate is one that has raged for years. But only a few players — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and maybe one or two others — have been able to truly claim that they belong in the conversation. James is most definitely one of them. And his popularity is particularly high with the younger generation.
For full transparency, it’s worth noting that moments into KU’s open practice on Thursday, Braun yelled out the name “Jordan!” while hoisting his first shot inside United Center. He followed it up with a shot from the corner that carried the name “Scottie Pippen!” with it. Braun has never been afraid to mix it up and argue with anybody. But there’s little doubt that playing at the United Center still carries a little juice with it.
That’s certainly true for at least one of Braun’s teammates, who said this week that he thought it was a thrill to be playing in the same building that Jordan once starred in and the venue that features a statue of MJ near the entrance.
“I know a little bit about Michael Jordan,” said KU sophomore Jalen Wilson. “To be able to share the same court that he once played on is definitely cool to me.”
A few years ago, [after James reached his eighth consecutive Eastern Conference Finals,][1] KU coach Bill Self was asked by the Journal-World to sound off in the MJ-LBJ debate.
While Self said then that he would still give a “slight edge to Mike,” he was not willing to count James out of it completely.
“I don’t think it matters,” Self said. “I think they’re both incredible. I think they’re going to go down as 1-2 and one of them still has some time to even improve on his legacy.”
During the breakdown, Self tossed a little Jayhawk love into the conversation.
“If you’re going to talk about most dominant, I’d still say Wilt,” he said of former Jayhawk and NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain. “If you’re going to talk about most titles, you’d say Mike, but the consistency with which LeBron’s done it is second to none. I would say I’d still have to give the slight edge to Mike. But that’s like picking who’s tougher, King Kong or Godzilla.”
Stay in touch with KUsports.com throughout the day and night for complete coverage from Chicago.
Here’s a look at our coverage from the Windy City so far:
• Game Day Breakdown: Kansas vs. Providence
• Sweet 16 Notebook: Jayhawks, Friars mirror each other
“>• Photo gallery from Thursday’s open practices
• Providence eager to face college basketball blue blood
• Bill Self on leaving Illinois: ‘It’s worked out well for us’
• Basketball Friends breaks down what’s at stake for KU in Chicago
• Experienced transfers lead Providence to Sweet 16
• Top-seeded Kansas arrives in Chicago
• Former KU guard Charlie Moore back in Chicago
[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2018/may/28/ku-coach-bill-self-sounds-king-james-streak/
