LeBron: People appreciate you more when you're gone
The great debate, LeBron or Jordan, has been one of the more annoying things to cover during All-Star Weekend. LeBron tried to add some perspective to the question on Saturday at a Houston-area Boys & Girls Club.
Seated for an interview inside a gymnasium that his foundation refurbished, LeBron talked about the legacy of greatness in general terms. Put simply, it grows with the passage of time. A master craftsman isn’t fully appreciated until he’s gone. The implication, of course, is that maybe LeBron will be considered better than Jordan when, you know, he’s actually finished playing and people have a chance to appreciate an entire body of work.
“I understand that people appreciate more when you’re actually done, when you’re done playing or musicians are done putting out music or painters are done painting,” James said. “They appreciate it a little bit more.
“I understand that people like—I’m not putting myself in a category with Michael Jackson—but people appreciated him more when he passed away. People appreciate Picasso’s art more when he wasn’t making them anymore.”