I respect your opinion, but I don't agree with most of it..... the game changes from generation to generation. The Bad Boys, old Celtics, and Lakers thought MJ was soft, and a crybaby, and most of his teammates thought he was selfish. The same was said about Kobe early in his career. Narratives about both of them have changed since they left the game. IMO, MJ is the worst of the lot. He has no character and treats his family like trash. I dislike him more than almost any other athlete.
Kobe will always be my favorite Laker, along with Magic/Kareem. I don't put Lebron on the same level as MJ or even Kobe, but I respect him as a player. I appreciate him more for his character. He had all of the reasons most inner-city athletes fail, with no father and a drug addicted mother, but he chose the right path. He has zero scandals and seems to be a good family man. He has always been compared to MJ, and the fact that people feel the need to announce he's not MJ tells me he's pretty high on the list of great players. I have never heard the people closest to him say he only cares about himself.
MJ was heavily criticized until the last few years by people like Kareem because he never gave back to his community. Kobe held the Lakers hostage financially for a decade and was also known for not giving much. LeBron is on the list of the most generous athletes of all time. Flopping didn't start when LBJ entered the league, and neither did complaining to refs. Did you ever see the championship Spurs? Their whole team was full of crybabies until Kawhi joined. Magic was well known for being very demonstrative each time he didn't get a call.
