Channing Frye is upfront about how he arrives at his Michael Jordan takes, regardless of whether you think they’re wrong or right.
“I’m not gonna lie. I wasn’t a Jordan fan. I’m from Phoenix, right? So I’m a Barkley guy, I’m a Kevin Johnson guy, I’m a Thunder Dan guy,” Frye, who also attended Arizona, said on the “Talkin’ Blazers” podcast for NBC Sports Northwest with host Dan Sheldon. “So as much as everyone’s shocked, I never had Jordan (as) my top player of all time, anyways.”
(Spoiler: Frye has LeBron James wayyyyy high on his list.)
Frye’s main reasoning? “I think the game was 1,000 percent different than what it is today.”
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Then came the quote that lit up the internet on a Friday evening.
“So, like, Jordan is amazing, and this is not an argument to say he’s lesser, it is just my opinion. Jordan’s job on that (Bulls) team was to score, right? He had one of the first teams with two (of) what we call ‘tweeners’: Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen, right? We can throw in Toni Kukoc, we can throw in Ron (Harper), who does not get enough credit.
“He only had really one job and that was to just score and he did that at an amazing, amazing rate. But I don’t feel like his way of winning then would translate to what it is now. Guys wouldn’t want to play with him, right?”
That’s what led the basketball world to politely tell Frye he was full of it.
He won DPOY and lead the league in steals Channing but yea keep going man.
— Rashad Phillips (@RP3natural) May 15, 2020
Jordan averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.3 steals for his career. But we digress.
Frye kept up with his “Jordan couldn’t hang with us” take. Here’s where he began to fly his #TeamLeBron flag. He started by saying teams today, which are bigger and more athletic, would be able to “combat” Jordan’s style of play, which included a stellar midrange game.
“If LeBron went back then, he had two guys that would guard him. Who’s 6-9? Rodman and Snottie Drippen, right? (Yes, Frye actually said “Snottie Drippen.”) He had two guys that would guard him. Who else could keep up with him?”
And that helps to explain why the former NBA big man rides for his former Cavaliers teammate.
“I like to argue it both ways, but I like to argue that LeBron is the best of all time,” he said.