Lifestyle

20 Things LeBron James Has Done That Michael Jordan Would Never Do

June 9, 2014

It's NBA Finals time. LeBron James is competing, and that can only mean one thing: comparisons to Michael Jordan.

In an era that has seen LeBron rise as the cream of the crop of NBA talent, it is only natural that the four-time MVP draws comparisons to the man widely recognized as the greatest basketball player to ever live.

With social media giving fans the opportunity to project their opinions more than ever before, the scrutiny and intensity of those comparisons are only bound to go and, at times, become unfair.

But while the criticism that James receives has sometimes been over the top, there is no denying that he comes up short in living up to his legacy as the "chosen one" in ways that are just too glaring to ignore.

The moments of madness make it hard to avoid those famous five words: "Jordan wouldn't have done that." Here are 20 of the most memorable times we've had to say that the most.

1. Join His Biggest Competition To Win A Championship

2. And Celebrate It As If It Were The Actual Championship

3. Then Make Promises That He Can't Keep

4. Only To Disappear When It Was Time To Deliver

5. It Was Bad Enough That He Used To Defer To D-Wade All The Time

6. But To Need Him During Every Difficult Press Conference Was A Bit Much

7. Flop All Over The Place 8. Be So Immature That Team USA Thought About Dropping Him

From Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski circa 2010:

For as gifted as James was, Krzyzewski and Colangelo subscribed to a belief that with Kobe Bryant joining the national team in 2007, they could win a gold medal in '08 with or without LeBron James. Behind the scenes, officials had taken to calling James' inner circle, 'The Enablers.'

No one ever told him to grow up. No one ever challenged him. And yet, James was still a powerful pull for his teammates, and everyone had to agree they could no longer let his bossy and belittling act go unchecked. These weren't the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Team USA wasn't beholden to him.

9. Avoid The Slam Dunk Contest For Five Years When He's Clearly The Best Dunker

10. Then Say He'd Enter The Dunk Contest

11. And Still Not Do It Anyway

12. Only To Tease Fans With Pre-Game Dunk Shows

13. "Don't Worry Guys, I'll Still Post Videos Of My Practice Dunks"

14. Get Embarrassed In An All-Star Game By His Greatest Rival

15. Get Trolled By Fans In His Home City

Those are Cleveland Indians fans, after Lebron decided to wear a Yankees hat during the 2007 ALDS series against New York.