Although Michael Jordanis consideredthe best NBA player of all time by many, there are also those who think Lakers star LeBron James is the best of them all. Some of them place Jordan on their American sports Mount Rushmore while other place LeBron in there. On that mount, there is another name that has no rival and is always mentioned on everybody’s list. We are talking about the late great Muhammad Ali, he is considered the greatest athlete of all time by many. A distinction that podcast Dan Le Batard made on his show this Tuesday, he compared LeBron James with Muhammad Ali after the NBA legend carried the United States’ American flag at the Olympic Games opening ceremony. But his reasoning behind it has more to do with the impact these athletes had in humanity as a whole. Because Ali was an absolute role model for multiple generations.

Can LeBron James be compared to Muhammad Ali?

Muhammad Ali was a human rights activist and he made a massive statement by refusing to fight in the Vietnam War backin the ‘1960s. That turned him into a counter culture symbol during that era. Le Batard is making the comparison during his podcast, saying: “I don’t think we understand how unfair we’ve been to excellence over the last twenty years. With social media mocking people, he was always chasing Michael, always chasing Michael. Seeing him holding that American flag-it means something different than it did twenty years ago, but the person holding it doesn’t. He still represents excellence for twenty years, today’s Ali. Do you know how hard it is to tackle that?”

He continuied: “Michael Jordan is America’s ultimate winner, and not even Brady could do it because he wasn’t first. We have watched for 20 years someone who holds that American flag in the middle of the Olympics. Once upon a time, we treated Team USA differently, but now, we don’t give it the same respect as we did when it was Jordan and Barkley. Imagine Michael Jordan at the end of everything, not shooting jumpers for the Wizards, older than any athlete out there and still deserving of holding the flag. How emotional you would have been watching it because you’re so much nicer to him.”