Phillies' triple-A team to LeBron: Catch Michael Jordan, join the IronPigs
Can LeBron James be considered the all-time greatest if he doesn't spend a season playing baseball? The IronPigs don't think so.
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The comparisons rage on, year after year. Who is the best: LeBron James or Michael Jordan?
James is still chasing Jordan when it comes to NBA titles (Jordan 6, James 3) and MVP honors (Jordan 5, James 4). James has edged out Jordan in playoff games (217 to Jordan's 179) and they're tied when it comes to all-star game appearances (both have been chosen 14 times).
But there's one area James will never catch Jordan in — and the Lehigh Valley IronPigs want to help change that.
Looming over the American Parkway Bridge in Allentown is a new billboard that reads: "Our pitch … LeBron to the IronPigs."
The billboard, which features a man wearing a No. 23 IronPigs jersey with the name James on it, is trying to convince the Cavs' star to spend a few months down in the minor leagues, just like his predecessor did in 1994.
Jordan, at age 31, famously retired from basketball to pursue a baseball career. He signed with the Chicago White Sox, was invited to spring training and then spent a season playing in the outfield for the double-A Birmingham Barons. He appeared in 127 games and managed 88 hits in 436 at-bats, but struck out 114 times and had just a .202 batting average.
The IronPigs think James can top that, and want him to try. As they note, he's already 33 — and he's running out of time. If James gets more than Jordans' 51 RBIs and three home runs, can he finally be considered the GOAT?
James, of course, is still playing for a spot in the NBA Finals, which begin on May 31. But first he and the Cavs have to get past the dangerous Boston Celtics, who just knocked the Sixers out of the postseason.
It's important to note that the Phillies' triple-A affiliate made their public pitch for #LVWantsLeBron just hours after the Sixers' season ended – especially when it's already been pitched (on a billboard no less) that James should join the Sixers when he becomes a free agent on July 1.