Contrary to the popular myth, just because athletes might play one sport professionally doesn’t mean they don’t pay attention to other sports. Allen Robinson for example is a huge basketball fan. As are many of his teammates as it turns out. During one recent Chicago Bears meeting that fandom seems to have come to the forefront in a spirited debate.
Head coach Matt Nagy is good friends with Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers. This guy is living basketball history. He played during the peak years of the Larry and Magic through the reign of the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s. Then he became a highly successful head coach, winning an NBA championship in 2008 with the Boston Celtics. So he was a perfect choice for Nagy to ask to speak to his team.
While speaking on Adam Schefter’s podcast, he told a great story of how passionate Bears players got about their basketball fandom. Specifically the argument of who truly is the greatest ever.
“All the players are there. They’re asking great questions. Their questions were phenomenal…
…It was during ‘The Last Dance’ so it was perfect timing to talk. It’s funny. The younger guys got into the LeBron thing. The older guys are like the Jordan (thing). I mean it was funny, I said ‘How do guys like skip Kobe?’ So you know I start throwing questions out to them.”
Good to see a Bears meeting was spent wisely like that
By all accounts “The Last Dance” documentary reignited the Jordan vs. LeBron arguments like never before. Both sides have gone at each other for years. Really ever since James finally started winning championships with the Miami Heat and then brought one home to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the minds of many, that was more than enough to place him atop the mountain as the greatest ever.
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Jordan lovers laughed in their faces at that. For one, two of James’ title victories demanded a seventh game to achieve. Something M.J. never let happen in six trips to the finals. For another, he never lost one either, going a perfect 6-0. LeBron sits at 3-6. One could also argue he’s faced a far less talented NBA overall in his career compared to the stacked rosters Jordan battled in the late ’80s through the ’90s.
Regardless, this is an argument that will never truly go away. In fact, the odds are a new name will join the conversation sometime in future. That doesn’t make it less entertaining to see Bears players carrying it on even in a team meeting that was supposed to be serious.