Los Angeles— Michael Jordan and not LeBron James is the greatest player of all time, according to a survey of NBA players published by The Athletic on Monday.
The sports news website polled 127 NBA players between March 16 and April 1 for its inaugural anonymous player survey, asking subjects a range of questions about the sport.
On the question of which player deserved to be recognized as the greatest in history, the verdict of the 122 players who answered the question was unanimous.
According to the survey, 73% believe six-time NBA champion Jordan is the greatest player the sport has seen. James came in second with 11.9% of votes, ahead of Kobe Bryant with 10.6%.
The poll also revealed that James Harden is most players’ pick to win this season’s MVP honours.
Houston Rockets star Harden, the 2017-2018 MVP, was chosen by 44.3% of respondents, with Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo just behind with 38.9% of the votes.
Oklahoma City Thunder’s Paul George was third with 12.7%.
Antetokounmpo however was the clear favourite for players asked who they would attempt to build a new franchise around.
The towering Greek star was chosen by 36.4% of players asked who they would sign first if they were building a roster from scratch.
New Orleans Pelicans ace Anthony Davis was second with 10.4% of votes while Joel Embiid (8.8%) was third.
Meanwhile, James has defended Luke Walton’s record amid ongoing speculation concerning the Los Angeles Lakers coach’s future with the franchise.
Walton is widely expected to be shown the door by the Lakers at the end of the season after a disappointing campaign which saw them fail to make the playoffs for a sixth straight year.
However James said injuries and suspensions throughout the campaign left Walton short of resources for key parts of the season.
James cited the suspensions handed down to Rajon Rondo and Brandon Ingram in the first game of the season as well as a litany of injuries as reasons for the team’s problems.
“No one expects for a suspension to happen on opening night,” James told Spectrum Sportsnet television in an interview.
“No one expects for injuries to happen the way they did with our franchise this year. Where your starting point guard is out for numerous games. Your starting small forward is out.
“I’m not talking two or three games here, everyone is back in the lineup. We’re talking like 15, 20, 25 games.”
The Lakers injury toll also included James, who missed 17 games between the end of December and February after suffering a groin strain.
The NBA superstar’s absence — the longest injury layoff of his career — triggered a slump which saw the team fall out of playoff contention in the Western Conference.
James said that when all of the Lakers’ key personnel was fit, the team had been a match for most other sides in the league.
“We had a defensive rating of fourth in the NBA, and we were like seventh in offense when we played together over 23 games,” James said.
“As good as that is, it’s not enough for Luke to even know what he has on a consistent basis, when you don’t have a consistent roster every night during the season.
“Like you said, control what you can control and you’ve got to play the hand you’re dealt. I think he played the hand as well as he could.”
The Lakers wrap up their campaign on Tuesday against the Portland Trail Blazers.