James: I'm not after Michael's mantle
LeBron James said his chase of Michael Jordan's accomplishments is not about wanting to establish himself as the NBA's greatest player but is simply personal motivation.
James made the comments on Thursday before the Cavaliers beat the Boston Celtics 135-102 in Game 5 to win the Eastern Conference title.
The 32-year-old James passed Jordan's record of 5,987 points, which had stood for 19 years. He finished with 35 points to set a new mark of 5,995 points in 212 play-off games. Six-time NBA champion Jordan set his record in 179 games.
Victory in Boston secured James his seventh straight Finals appearance. He won two titles with the Miami Heat between 2011 and 2014 before returning to Cleveland, the reigning champion.
However, James said his goal is not about passing Jordan in titles, points or MVP awards, but rather it is about leaving a legacy to motivate the next generation.
"It's just my personal goal to keep me motivated, that's all," James said.
"You guys (the media) are gonna have the conversations about who's the greatest of all time and things of that nature. It doesn't matter to me."
He also said he believes that the greatness conversation is discussed more often in the NBA than in other sports.
"It's never talked about (in the) NFL, who's the greatest quarterback. It's just like (Dan) Marino, (John) Elway, (Peyton) Manning, (Tom) Brady - all great. It should be the same for us," James said.
"The comparison of always trying to compare people - either living or still playing or not playing - I think it's great for barbershops."
Associated Press
(China Daily 05/27/2017 page12)
