Isiah Thomas: "Lebron has better handles than Magic & Jordan."

[pauk]

https://twitter.com/iamisiahthomas

"For those who want to debate, I played against Magic and Jordan neither player had handles like @KingJames!"

What say you? I think it is very debatable imo... Magic is the best PG ever so people can tend to overvalue he his ballhandling ability somewhat, in reality he was not really a flashy dribbler at all, breaking peoples ankles with crossovers and so on, infact i have never seen him "break ankle" on somebody (and ive seen over 100s of games with him), he was more about ballsecurity & ballcontrol using that and his size to outmaneuver & overpower guards and he did that extremly efficiently...... Jordan was a flashy dribbler, but had maybe less ballsecurity & ballcontrol than Magic... Lebron has great ballcontrol/security and is a flashy dribbler.... its very debatable.. just trying to reasonably & fairly see what Isiah Thomas maybe sees, I would love for Isiah to elaborate...

Kenny Smith & Charles Barkley i heard said this aswell.... whatever the case is i think all three were one of the best ballhandlers ever (if not the best) at their respective size (6'6"+), you could throw in Kobe, Penny Hardaway and some others maybe...

[BallsOut]

Isiah must have forgotten that neither Magic nor Jordan had the luxury of getting away with carrying and traveling.

[Foster5k]

He probably right. However, Jordan > Magic > Lebron.

No one is going to trade Magic for Lebron or Jordan for Lebron.

[KyrieTheFuture]

Well we all know how smart of a GM/Commentator Isiah Thomas is...

[Round Mound]

No Way He Had Better Handles than Magic and Yes Lebron Carrys and Walks More than Magic (Since the Mid 90s The NBA Has Forgetten About Fundamentals to Make The Game More Exciting). Better Handles than Jordan Yes But That It.

[ralph_i_el]

depends on what you think is important when you consider a player's "handle"

Lebron is a flashier ball handler than magic but I feel like Magic is was more efficient with his handle. Bron and jordon are on par in my book

[pauk]

Well we all know how smart of a GM/Commentator Isiah Thomas is...

Isiah is one of the best PGs & players ever, who had easily top 5 handles in NBA history in my book, he was ahead of his time with the dribbling moves, broke millions of ankles, had ridicilous control/security (think of CP3 with even more flashy moves) and we all know his relationship with Magic..... My point is, he knows what he is talking about in this specific department, but i would love for him to elaborate on this one... give a more detailed comparison so we can maybe understand why he thinks so

[poido123]

Jordan, the guy who has huge hands and can get by his opponent at will, can grip the ball and do pump fakes without trouble? James has better handles than him? This is laughable :lol:

This is coming from a guy who was one of Jordan's fierce rivals in his day, so take it with a grain of salt..

[pauk]

depends on what you think is important when you consider a player's "handle"

Lebron is a flashier ball handler than magic but I feel like Magic is was more efficient with his handle. Bron and jordon are on par in my book

Exactly, Magic had ridicilous control/security with very high IQ, he wasnt so quick/fast and he didnt have nasty dribbling moves, BUT... you just couldnt stop him from going anywhere he wanted and do whatever the hell he wanted, he just couldnt fumble the damn ball no matter what you did and no matter how slowly he did it.... thats maybe the reason to why he didnt tried "and1'esque" moves... He cared about only keeping the ball alive & safe, just enough so he could lazer beam a nasty pass to somebody

[KyrieTheFuture]

AI wins that's all that matters :D

[1987_Lakers]

In terms of handles...

Magic > LeBron > MJ

[IGOTGAME]

Coming from Isiah that is high praise. Thomas had the best handles I have ever seen.

Oh and I agree with this.

[pauk]

AI wins that's all that matters :D

Guys like AI, Isiah, CP3, Tim Hardaway etc. are on another level (either with arsenal of dribbling moves or security/control or both)... this is more like a comparison between these 3 only, guys like AI in this debate would end the thread long time ago :D

[Rowe]

While he is 100% right, you also can't ignore the fact that Isiah has had issues with Jordan & Magic for 20+ years. I dont think he & MJ ever buried the hatchet the way he seemed to have done in the last 10 years with Magic despite Magic namedropping him in that autobiography.

[LikeABosh]

Lebron has better handles than Jordan.... All you guys acting like it's some kind of travesty to say Lebron is better than Jordan.

[KyrieTheFuture]

Guys like AI, Isiah, CP3, Tim Hardaway etc. are on another level (either with arsenal of dribbling moves or security/control or both)... this is more like a comparison between these 3 only, guys like AI in this debate would end the thread long time ago :D
Yea I wasn't disagreeing with Isiah at all I'm just saying he's not an infallible evaluator of skill. I didn't watch Magic/Jordan so I can't actually say who was the best.

[bdreason]

Better handles than Magic? Maybe.

Better handles than Jordan? Nah.

[pauk]

While he is 100% right, you also can't ignore the fact that Isiah has had issues with Jordan & Magic for 20+ years. I dont think he & MJ ever buried the hatchet the way he seemed to have done in the last 10 years with Magic despite Magic namedropping him in that autobiography.

Ah yea, thats true.

[pauk]

Yea I wasn't disagreeing with Isiah at all I'm just saying he's not an infallible evaluator of skill. I didn't watch Magic/Jordan so I can't actually say who was the best.

Are you serious? You have missed out dramatically, download/youtube/buy their games or something immediately! (throw in Larry Bird there aswell) :)

[Mr. Jabbar]

:roll:

[lebeast666]

Ya...and a better player than both of them.

[bdreason]

Lebron has better handles than Jordan.... All you guys acting like it's some kind of travesty to say Lebron is better than Jordan.


MJ was maybe the best slasher off the dribble in the history of the game. The guy lived off the dribble, getting to the hoop, and pulling up from midrange.

LeBron has a nice dribble, and doesn't turnover the ball much, but he lacks the lateral quickness and cleverness of MJ's dribbling both in the paint and around the post. I would give LeBron the edge is open court dribbling, but that's mainly predicated on his amazing passing ability.


If I had to rank them it would probably be something like;

Open Court:
Magic
LeBron
Jordan

Half Court:
Jordan
LeBron
Magic


I prefer the guy with a more effective dribble in the half-court setting... but I guess an argument could be made for any of them.

[pauk]

:roll:

There you are! :oldlol:

Let me do it for you:

"Isiah is retarded!! Magic & Jordan had millions times better handles than LeBrick, omfg so overrated this LeTosser is!! However Kobe > Magic/Jordan > Lebron in ballhandling"

[inclinerator]

lebron has good ball protection but i hardly see him doing crossovers etc

[SFMF]

Isiah being Isiah again... no one really seems to give a **** to what he says no more.

[OldSchoolBBall]

Lebron does not have better handles than Jordan circa '89-'92.

[pauk]

lebron has good ball protection but i hardly see him doing crossovers etc

Yea not so much of that this season, his go-to-move this season so far has been that hesitation move blowing by you left or right... and it always works, doesnt break the defenders ankles, but thats the whole point of it, to get ahead but to try have the defender close enough to draw a foul/and1 if he can... His handling is much more lethal in the open court though...

[Whoah10115]

Magic is the most fundamental dribbler I've seen. He was flashier in the open court but he loved backing his man down...and MJ's handles -while awkward- were great. I think both were better.


Grant Hill would be closer.

[Kobe 4 The Win]

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. I suppose he has a better 3 point shot that Bird too.

[allball]

I'm a big Lebron fan but in terms of effective ballhandling there are differences. Magic was the best at handling with speed and making decisions on the fly off his dribble. Also great at using his body to protect the ball. Jordan had the better handles as far as creating his shot and making plays for others out of double teams. Lebron has probably the best handles with his off hand. He also plays in the post Iverson ballhandling era. meaning less likely to get called for carrying with his hand on the side of the ball.

[Jolokia]

I don't know if better handles but he's a better ball handler than Jordan probably due to size.

Magic has better court vision and more creativity with the passes, but I think he was quite limited with his dribbling techniques.

Lebron also lacks versatile ball handing moves but is a complete professional at what he does with consistency and accuracy. His size and speed combo makes it difficult for players to reach.

I mean this is all debatable but I agree with Isiah. You've got to remember the evolution of the game plays a big impact in what is being done today though. Lebron > Magic by a hair.

[vegasbigshots]

Isaiah still pissed at Jordan and Magic for not putting him on the Dream Team Olympics. Plain and simple. :biggums:

[nathanjizzle]

thats sad, since lebrons handles are very poor compared to players of this generation.

[chips93]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0JjK2c-5-N0/R9dOHJcclZI/AAAAAAAAAKI/kREYEHxCPiM/s400/knicksexperiencethevision.jpg

[andgar923]

https://twitter.com/iamisiahthomas

"For those who want to debate, I played against Magic and Jordan neither player had handles like @KingJames!"

What say you? I think it is very debatable imo... Magic is the best PG ever so people can tend to overvalue he his ballhandling ability somewhat, in reality he was not really a flashy dribbler at all, breaking peoples ankles with crossovers and so on, infact i have never seen him "break ankle" on somebody (and ive seen over 100s of games with him), he was more about ballsecurity & ballcontrol using that and his size to outmaneuver & overpower guards and he did that extremly efficiently...... Jordan was a flashy dribbler, but had maybe less ballsecurity & ballcontrol than Magic... Lebron has great ballcontrol/security and is a flashy dribbler.... its very debatable.. just trying to reasonably & fairly see what Isiah Thomas maybe sees, I would love for Isiah to elaborate...

Kenny Smith & Charles Barkley i heard said this aswell.... whatever the case is i think all three were one of the best ballhandlers ever (if not the best) at their respective size (6'6"+), you could throw in Kobe, Penny Hardaway and some others maybe...

:roll: :roll: :roll: @ him having better handles than them.

He's like a robot, has sketchy control at times, he isn't as great as they were at splitting multiple defenders and MJ's crossover>>> Bron's.

[wakencdukest]

I don't know if better handles but he's a better ball handler than Jordan probably due to size.

Magic has better court vision and more creativity with the passes, but I think he was quite limited with his dribbling techniques.

Lebron also lacks versatile ball handing moves but is a complete professional at what he does with consistency and accuracy. His size and speed combo makes it difficult for players to reach.

I mean this is all debatable but I agree with Isiah. You've got to remember the evolution of the game plays a big impact in what is being done today though. Lebron > Magic by a hair.


So, his handles are better than magics? That's probably true, he uses the dribble to set up everything he does, but Magic didn't have to use the dribble to set up his shot or to create offense, he was dangerous without even putting the ball on the floor. Even so, Magic seemed to be able to protect the ball pretty well.

[unbreakable]

LMAO lebron can protect the rock very well.. but he does NOT have mad handles ... mj and magic would break people off every game.. lebron breaks someone off once a month..

and did someone say lebron is a flashy ball handler? :oldlol: :oldlol: :oldlol:

[AngelEyes]

:roll: :roll: :roll: @ him having better handles than them.

He's like a robot, has sketchy control at times, he isn't as great as they were at splitting multiple defenders and MJ's crossover>>> Bron's.

This

[G-Funk]

NO he doesn't. Jordan has better handles and Magic is better than both

[ralph_i_el]

thats sad, since lebrons handles are very poor compared to players of this generation.

:facepalm :facepalm :facepalm

Nobody his size puts it on the floor like bron today. I hate him but it's the truth.

[scandisk_]

LMAO lebron can protect the rock very well.. but he does NOT have mad handles ... mj and magic would break people off every game.. lebron breaks someone off once a month..

and did someone say lebron is a flashy ball handler? :oldlol: :oldlol: :oldlol:


:rockon: :rockon: :rockon:

+1

[97 bulls]

These are silly arguments. What difference does it make? All three have no problem getting to where they want on the court. So its arguing semantics.

Which is flashier a Lamborghini or Ferrari? Its a waste of time trying to argue it.

[miggyme1]

This is a tricky debate

Why are peopke acting like jordan and magic had the best handles eva?lol

Saying lebron has better handles than jordan and magic isnt saying much i can name 10 players who had better handles than jordan and magic

Penny hardaway
Tim hardaway
Isiah thomas
John stockton
Mark price
Jason kidd in his prime
Steve nash
Allen iverson
Cp3
Moogsy bogues yea i know he was low to the ground but i never saw him lose control of the rock

[k0kakw0rld]

Lebron has better handles than Jordan.... All you guys acting like it's some kind of travesty to say Lebron is better than Jordan at something
Fixed.

[andgar923]

:facepalm :facepalm :facepalm

Nobody his size puts it on the floor like bron today. I hate him but it's the truth.

Durant is taller and has better handles.
Tmac was same height and had superior handles (not close)
Odom is taller and has superior handles
Blake Griffin is very comparable and may even have a slightly better crossover

Bron is good for his size no doubt, but he's not as good as some make him out to be. I honestly feel he's gonna get ripped or he'll lose it whenever he's facing the defender.

And I don't think it has to do with his muscles either, since Shaq had a better crossover. Naturally, he didn't play the point but you could see better control and fluidity in the few times he handled the ball.

[PHILA]

Big O was as good as anyone. Look how subtly and easily he maneuvers in keeping the ball from Don Ohl, and excellent defensive guard. It's almost like he isn't there. No need for the off arm extension either, at least not in this clip.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA5ZxxzwP4Y&t=2m15s

[elementally morale]

:facepalm :facepalm :facepalm

Nobody his size puts it on the floor like bron today. I hate him but it's the truth.

Why did you bring 'his size' into the equation?
At any rate, playing basketball is not a dribbling competition. Both Magic and Jordan were better players than James is, that's for sure.

[stephanieg]

It's true, Jordan didn't have that sick crab dribble.

[Cladyclad]

I agree wit Zeke

[Jolokia]

So, his handles are better than magics? That's probably true, he uses the dribble to set up everything he does, but Magic didn't have to use the dribble to set up his shot or to create offense, he was dangerous without even putting the ball on the floor. Even so, Magic seemed to be able to protect the ball pretty well.
I've only seen a few games of Magic but I see that Lebron just protects the ball better. It's not night and, day but I can definitely see it. But if you're talking about court vision, I don't think it's as close as people think. Magic was a magician out there and saw the game in slow motion. Lebron is a chemistry person. His hard work puts him in the position to know when and where someone should be due to practice and practice and practice and understanding how the game works. Magic just changed the game.

People can knock on Lebron that he's not fluid, but do you really have to be when you are extremely effective at what you do? He doesn't have the prettiest game but no one is going to steal the ball from him. I bet 3/4 turnovers he makes are from passes and 1 of them is probably from a teammate not being able to catch the ball. Rarely does he get stolen. He is the definition of a ball handler, and I am no fan of his. Just giving respect where it is due.

[Magic bird]

:biggums:

[IGOTGAME]

Durant is taller and has better handles.
Tmac was same height and had superior handles (not close)
Odom is taller and has superior handles
Blake Griffin is very comparable and may even have a slightly better crossover

Bron is good for his size no doubt, but he's not as good as some make him out to be. I honestly feel he's gonna get ripped or he'll lose it whenever he's facing the defender.

And I don't think it has to do with his muscles either, since Shaq had a better crossover. Naturally, he didn't play the point but you could see better control and fluidity in the few times he handled the ball.

Top notch flame.

[plowking]

He probably right. However, Jordan > Magic > Lebron.

No one is going to trade Magic for Lebron or Jordan for Lebron.

Jordan might be better, but Magic isn't close to the individual player Lebron is.

[joeysms55]

I remember watching the open forum then when Reggie said Magic Johnson have one of the best handles. All the other people dissed him and even said Lebron have a better handles..

[BrickingStar]

Why did you bring 'his size' into the equation?
At any rate, playing basketball is not a dribbling competition. Both Magic and Jordan were better players than James is, that's for sure.
Magic had a much better career, as a individual player that's debatable.

[BrickingStar]

Durant is taller and has better handles.
Tmac was same height and had superior handles (not close)
Odom is taller and has superior handles
Blake Griffin is very comparable and may even have a slightly better crossover

Bron is good for his size no doubt, but he's not as good as some make him out to be. I honestly feel he's gonna get ripped or he'll lose it whenever he's facing the defender.

And I don't think it has to do with his muscles either, since Shaq had a better crossover. Naturally, he didn't play the point but you could see better control and fluidity in the few times he handled the ball.
He said size not just height factoring muscle, weight, ect... only one there you mentioned that fits that criteria is BG.

[elementally morale]

Magic had a much better career, as a individual player that's debatable.

I don't believe in this 'as an individual player' thingy. It's 5 on 5 for a reason.

[BrickingStar]

I don't believe in this 'as an individual player' thingy. It's 5 on 5 for a reason.
So in your top 10 you never took notice of what kind of team mates they had around them? And no the players around him don't have much to do with what the individual players talent is. By this logic Pippen > Barkley because barkley great player no rings, pippen great player 6 rings? Individual talent is important when you rank player and you notice what kind of players they had around/built around the great playa.

[plowking]

I don't believe in this 'as an individual player' thingy. It's 5 on 5 for a reason.

Lebron's better as both. Clearly.

[Bandito]

Why is when somebody says Lebron is better than a certain legend is the truth but when somebody says Kobe is better than a certain legend is a fallacy?

[BrickingStar]

Why is when somebody says Lebron is better than a certain legend is the truth but when somebody says Kobe is better than a certain legend is a fallacy?
not many agree with that in this thread but why don't you show us an example of what kobe does better than this "legend" to see if we agree or not? Most kobe fans are delusional and have red rep to begin with :lol

[elementally morale]

Lebron's better as both. Clearly.

Something else became clear to me when I was reading this ^.

[andgar923]

He said size not just height factoring muscle, weight, ect... only one there you mentioned that fits that criteria is BG.

And I addressed that.

[BrickingStar]

And I addressed that.
Yeah the shaq assessment? disagreed not even worth mentioning.

[joeysms55]

Why is when somebody says Lebron is better than a certain legend is the truth but when somebody says Kobe is better than a certain legend is a fallacy?

Because you can't compare Kobe's game to a lot of GOAT not named Jordan. That makes every comparison of kobe to him is a fallacy

[BlueandGold]

Wow serious?

Lebron, a SF, has better handles than the best SG and PG of all time?

:facepalm

[alenleomessi]

He is a better player than Magic too

[LeBird]

Wow serious?

Lebron, a SF, has better handles than the best SG and PG of all time?

:facepalm

Lebron's not your ordinary SF. Saying "Lebron is an SF" is just a mischaracterisation used as a device to dismiss the comparison.

[NBASTATMAN]

Lebron has better handles than Jordan.... All you guys acting like it's some kind of travesty to say Lebron is better than Jordan.


I would state that Lebron goes from one basket to the other better than any other big guard I have ever seen except maybe Magic. That includes, Mj, kOBE, pENNY, Scottie.

In a half court setting Penny and Kobe are the two flashiest that enabled them to get open shots while Mj combined flash and crazy athleticism to get an advantage.

[KOBE143]

The only thing he's better is crab dribbling the rest is not even debatable..

[TheBigVeto]

Isiah is just salty.

[Asukal]

I hate using stats but looking at their TOV per game... Jordan>Lebron. Don't get mad though, its just stats. :oldlol:

[gilalizard]

it's amazing how great you are when you don't have to play under the same set of rules

[Burgz V2]

he's right.

Jordan never needed to use his dribble to get by people, he would blow by from the triple threat or the mid-post area, and if you step back to take it away, he would take the mid range jumper. Fancy dribbling was never part of his game, he honed that which he was best at

Magic is a little more arguable, for a man that size to rarely have the ball taken away from him is unbelievable, especially as a PG. Magic used to dribble the ball REALLY hard in order to not give the opponent a chance to steal it which is extremely difficult and takes a LOT of coordination for someone his height.
That being said, Magic used to use his body to shield the ball most of the time and would never face up on a guy and dribble. Like MJ, he didnt NEED to, but the fact that LeBron can look the best defenders in the eye, face-to-face and pull off any dribble move at any time is more impressive to me.

He does get away with a lot of carries though, but so did MJ let's not forget that :lol
i mean who here remembers when they started FINALLY outlawing that stutter step thing he used to do, like DAMN, I used to always wonder as a kid why that wasn't considered a travel. I'd try the same thing in my house league games and get called and I would say "BUT JORDAN DOES IT!" and the would just be like ":roll: :roll: :roll: "

[SilkkTheShocker]

Did someone just say Durant has better handles than LeBron? Oh yea, it was Andgar, the biggest Jordan nutrider on the board :oldlol:

[Rubio2Gasol]

Zeke hates both, for good reason.

Jordan is certainly arguable but Magic isn't.

[SilkkTheShocker]

I don't believe in this 'as an individual player' thingy. It's 5 on 5 for a reason.


This is a pretty stupid arguement. Magic spent most of his career on ridiculously stacked teams. This is the same guy that threatened to stay in school if he wasn't playing on the same team with consensus 2nd best player ever. He was great. But he isn't better than LeBron.

[La Frescobaldi]

This is a pretty stupid arguement. Magic spent most of his career on ridiculously stacked teams. This is the same guy that threatened to stay in school if he wasn't playing on the same team with consensus 2nd best player ever. He was great. But he isn't better than LeBron.

What consensus? Who's deciding that is a consensus?

[hawke812]

https://twitter.com/iamisiahthomas

"For those who want to debate, I played against Magic and Jordan neither player had handles like @KingJames!"

What say you? I think it is very debatable imo... Magic is the best PG ever so people can tend to overvalue he his ballhandling ability somewhat, in reality he was not really a flashy dribbler at all, breaking peoples ankles with crossovers and so on, infact i have never seen him "break ankle" on somebody (and ive seen over 100s of games with him), he was more about ballsecurity & ballcontrol using that and his size to outmaneuver & overpower guards and he did that extremly efficiently...... Jordan was a flashy dribbler, but had maybe less ballsecurity & ballcontrol than Magic... Lebron has great ballcontrol/security and is a flashy dribbler.... its very debatable.. just trying to reasonably & fairly see what Isiah Thomas maybe sees, I would love for Isiah to elaborate...

Kenny Smith & Charles Barkley i heard said this aswell.... whatever the case is i think all three were one of the best ballhandlers ever (if not the best) at their respective size (6'6"+), you could throw in Kobe, Penny Hardaway and some others maybe...

Why is playing against Magic and Jordan relevant in the debate, but does not even mention playing against Lebron...

Seems like a PR stunt:rolleyes:

[TheNaturalWR]

LeBron doesn't even have the best handles on his own team....

[madmax17]

Isiah didn't like MJ. He did like Magic however, still a half-biased statement.

[Nash]

He probably right. However, Jordan > Magic > Lebron.

No one is going to trade Magic for Lebron or Jordan for Lebron.
Even Magic himself thinks Lebron is better than him. He has said plenty of times that Lebron is up there with Jordan.

[pauk]

LeBron doesn't even have the best handles on his own team....

Wades ballcontrol/ballsecurity has not been so good this season, he is and can be a very flashy/entertaining dribbler tho but that can/does go against him sometimes (for example, Miami almost lost the game last night with that behind the back fumble turnover inside the paint in the last seconds)...

What is handles? Flashy and1 dribbling (Allen Iverson for example) or IQ/ballcontrol/safety/how efficiently you impose your will with the ball (John Stockton for example)... both?

[SilkkTheShocker]

LeBron doesn't even have the best handles on his own team....

Is this a joke?

[Whoah10115]

Wade has better handles, if his handles aren't somewhat broker now than before.

Magic does not think Lebron is a better player...this is also irrelevant in this thread so let's leave it.



What consensus? Who's deciding that is a consensus?



Don't talk to him...he be troll.




Why is playing against Magic and Jordan relevant in the debate, but does not even mention playing against Lebron...

Seems like a PR stunt:rolleyes:



This be good point.

[Whoah10115]

Jordan might be better, but Magic isn't close to the individual player Lebron is.



This guy knows basketball.




He is a better player than Magic too



So is Chris Paul. And Rubio will be better than both by the end of the year.



Look at me Fresc...can't even listen to myself.

[LeFraud James]

Jordan, the guy who has huge hands and can get by his opponent at will, can grip the ball and do pump fakes without trouble? James has better handles than him? This is laughable :lol:

This is coming from a guy who was one of Jordan's fierce rivals in his day, so take it with a grain of salt..

Came here to post exactly this.

For those of us who actually watched Jordan and Magic play, this is beyond laughable.

[Blue&Orange]

All i have to say about this is apparently Isiah, stopped with the suicidal pills and started with the braindead pills.

Top3 dumbest comment made by any semi-pro commentator.

[Burgz V2]

I watched both Magic and MJ play and I honestly don't see much wrong with this.

They used their handles differently than LeBron. They accomplished what they needed, nothing more nothing less. I don't think it is knocking MJ and Magic at all actually. The game has evolved and so has its players, it is natural that a player 15-20 years after MJ and Magic might have some skill that is better than those two.

When people first said that MJ was a better dunker than Dr. J people reacted as if it was blasphemy but looking back, they were right. Some people here are overreacting. Isiah is clearly just stirring the pot, but not necessarily the wrong way. He's not saying that LeBron > MJ and LeBron > Magic. Ballhandling more than anything has evolved in this era, people are doing moves that weren't around in the 80s and early 90s. In their OWN contexts, relative to the players they were playing against, I think MJ and Magic stood out more than LeBron does compared to his contemporaries.

Long story short; I dont think anything is wrong with this comment, but I think removing the context from it is irresponsible and I it is dually unfair to compare them to each other

[hawke812]

Clearly has MJ and Magic beat:lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz7XG7_YRvo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ktQsqmM3sA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGL_EfDmYRk

[upside24]

Jordan, the guy who has huge hands and can get by his opponent at will, can grip the ball and do pump fakes without trouble? James has better handles than him? This is laughable :lol:

This is coming from a guy who was one of Jordan's fierce rivals in his day, so take it with a grain of salt..
Yeah Isiah and MJ were not the best of friends.

Frankly I don't value his opinion over that of anyone elses. He may be an all time great, but that doesn't mean his analysis of players abilities is correct.

[Hank]

He's right

[Whoah10115]

Big O was as good as anyone. Look how subtly and easily he maneuvers in keeping the ball from Don Ohl, and excellent defensive guard. It's almost like he isn't there. No need for the off arm extension either, at least not in this clip.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA5ZxxzwP4Y&t=2m15s



What's going to hurt Robertson is the palming rules. A bunch of people will see that and think they have better handles than Oscar Robertson.

[TheMan]

Who cares about "better handles"...

In the end, MJ>Magic>LBJ

[che guevara]

Lebron has good handles in the sense that he pretty much never gets stripped or makes a ball handling mistake, something he's probably better at than Magic or Jordan, but on the other hand, he doesn't have nearly as good handles attacking the basket.