As a sporting fanatic society, we are constantly comparing the elites of their respective sports to those that have come and gone before them.
LeBron James versus Kobe Bryant versus Michael Jordan.
Gary Ablett Jnr verus Gary Ablett Snr.
Steven Smith versus Donald Bradman.
Golden State 73-9 Season versus Chicago 72-10 Season.
Johnathan Thurston versus Andrew Johns.
Me versus Steph Curry.
Okay, the last one is clearly a joke, I would obviously smash Steph Curry in three-point contest, but do you see where I am going?
Instead of sitting back on our lounges and marvelling in the unbelievable individual season that Russell Westbrook has just put together in the NBA we spend the majority of the season comparing him to Oscar Roberston of the 1962 season when he averaged a triple-double as well.
Why do we find it so hard to just enjoy the sporting talent that we have in front of us?
I have been lucky enough to pay witness to some of the greatest players of all time in my favourite sporting leagues.
LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Steven Smith, Ricky Ponting, The Waugh Brothers, Andrew Johns, Johnathan Thurston, Gary Ablett Jnr, Patrick Dangerfield.
And while I can never compare them to their predecessors in the likes of Wally Lewis, Gary Ablett Snr, Michael Jordan, Donald Bradman and Scottie Pippen as I never got to watch them play – I don’t think I ever could.
In almost every sport, in almost every era, there are major changes and modifications to the style of play.
The NBA used to be based on a physical presence in the paint and taking the ball to the hoop.
Nowadays the court has changed to help expand the floor and open up the paint for the likes of LeBron and Durant to take full advantage of an open paint and try and rip the hoop down. If that is not happening, they are throwing an assist to their open shooters who are draining three-pointers as easy as a layup these days.
Cricket bats are now small trees in the shape of a bat rather than the toothpick the likes that Sir Viv Richards and David Boon were clubbing the red ball with.
I understand that comparisons will never stop, the media has to generate conversations and arguments to ensure that their respective sports are always in the media spotlight and at the front of people’s minds.
While I am sure it is quite a humbling experience for these players to be compared, to I am sure, their own sporting heroes and idols, I can guarantee you that they would like to make their own mark on their respective sports and leave a legacy.
Mark my words, within the next 10 – 12 years there will be a new kid on the block who is dominating the NBA the way LeBron is.
There will be a new ball playing half who is leading his state or club to numerous NRL successes. It is a cycle that will never stop, they will get better, younger and more talented as they filter through the leagues.
I just hope that we never lose focus of the brilliance we are watching in front of us at the time.
For the record, no one will ever surpass Michael Jordan as the GOAT and LeBron will be the closest thing we ever see.
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