Unprompted, Denver Nuggets coach Mike Malone offered his opinion on the endless comparisons between Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Malone sided with the player he grew up watching (Jordan) instead of the player he coached as an assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers (James).

"It's always an ongoing argument about who is the GOAT. Michael obviously is up there and is the greatest of all time," Malone said Tuesday in a Zoom call with reporters. "There are not many Michael Jordans out there. I coached LeBron James for five years and have a great relationship with him. LeBron did not have the same mindset or killer mentality that Michael Jordan is supposed to have had. But LeBron James is arguably the greatest of all time as well."

Malone did not baseon sports talk shows. The subject has re-emerged with Sunday's airing of the first two episodes of "The Last Dance" documentary. The ten-part series features exclusive footage of the Chicago Bulls’ 1997-98 season, as well as extended interviews with Jordan and various Bulls coaches and teammates, family members, notable rivals and admirers.

With the NBA suspending its season on March 11 because of the novel coronavirus outbreak, "The Last Dance" has not just given ESPN original programming that set a record among its various documentaries for the most average viewers (6.1 million). The series has also given NBA teams some more teaching material. As Malone noted, "you can always learn from the best."

Yet, Malone considered it "a fine line" as to what extent he wants his players to be