NBA Greats And Their WWE Comparisons

On the night of February 1st leading into the wee hours of February 2nd, the WWE and the NBA gave the world two of the biggest surprises in their respective sports. 

First, Jey Uso won the Royal Rumble match. The annual Royal Rumble match winner gets to choose a world champion to face at the biggest event of the year— WrestleMania.

Mere hours later, NBA Insider Shams Charania dropped a bombshell that was the Luka Doncic trade.

Both events were completely unprecedented and made headlines throughout the sports world. The magnitude of these two events shows just how integral basketball and professional wrestling are to pop culture and the world. As different as these two sports are, some names in them, including some of the greatest, share glaring similarities.

Let’s take a look at which NBA greats match up with some of the WWE’s best.

LeBron James – The Undertaker

Both of these men are unbelievably athletic for their size.

In fact, the Undertaker is a former basketball player who once played with Hakeem Olajuwon. Both LeBron and the Undertaker are integral to every GOAT debate in their respective sports. LeBron is often compared to Michael Jordan, while the Undertaker is often compared to Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Ric Flair.

Longevity and Clean Reputation

While the GOAT debate is never conclusive, LeBron and the Undertaker’s longevity are, without question, legendary. In 2003, the Cavaliers drafted LeBron, and almost 22 years later, he is still going strong. On the other hand, the Undertaker has wrestled in five different decades. He started wrestling in the 1980s and had his last match in 2020 against AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36.

LeBron has adjusted his style and spent millions of dollars to extend his career. He is no longer as explosive an athlete as he once was. Passing has become much more central to his game. While the Undertaker was not able to remain as healthy throughout his career, he adjusted to a slower, more story-based wrestling style to continue to wrestle into his fifties.

Both men are also well-respected amongst their peers. The Undertaker was a locker-room leader in WWE for decades, while LeBron has been the de-facto “bus driver” in most seasons of his career.

Lastly, both did not receive what they needed from the people they worked with to start their pro careers. LeBron struggled to carry the Cavs to a title for his first seven seasons, before choosing to leave for the Miami Heat. Similarly, Ole Anderson told the Undertaker that “No one will ever pay money to see you wrestle,” prompting him to leave WCW for the WWF (now WWE).

A Key Difference

Record on the biggest stage is the one area where LeBron is much more like Shawn Michaels, and the Undertaker is much more like Michael Jordan.

The Showstopper is 6-11 at WrestleMania, while the King is 4-6 in the NBA Finals. Neither of them is a lousy performer, as LeBron led both Finals teams in all five major statistical categories and still lost. On the other hand, Michaels earned the nickname “Mr. WrestleMania” for his astounding performances.

The Deadman and Jordan, on the other hand, are known more for their records than their performances on the biggest stage. Jordan was an undefeated 6-0 in the NBA Finals, while the Undertaker won his first 21 WrestleMania matches before losing to Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XXX. The Undertaker would finish his career at WrestleMania at 25-2.

Ironically, other than this, Michaels’ career bears much more resemblance to Jordan’s.

Michael Jordan – Shawn Michaels

These two iconic athletes inspired a generation in their respective sports.

They were ahead of their time in flashiness and athleticism, as many future athletes would build on these skillsets. Michaels flew off the top rope more than many from his early days, while Jordan’s dunking ability, quickness and acrobatic finishes stunned audiences.

Retirement

However, both superstars had a gap in the middle of their success stories. Jordan took almost two full seasons off from the NBA to pursue baseball with the Chicago White Sox. He had success before and after that break, three-peating before and after his first retirement. The only blemish during that span was a series loss to the Orlando Magic during the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals.

From 1998-2002, Michaels was away from the WWE, nursing back injuries and going through drug rehab. Upon his return, though, he continued to deliver banger after banger. His best matches include an Iron Man match against Bret Hart in 1996 and two WrestleMania classics against the Undertaker in 2009 and 2010.

Both athletes also retired a second time before a lackluster return. Jordan returned to basketball in 2001 with the Washington Wizards, and although he was still an All-Star level player, he was not as good as he once was. He put up two of the three lowest-scoring seasons of his career. Michaels returned in 2018 for a one-off tag match in Saudi Arabia that became a disaster.

Controversy Behind The Walls

Jordan and Michaels are also similar in that they didn’t always have the best reputation behind the scenes.

Michaels was known as a backstage politician and drug addict who could be difficult to work with. He infamously screwed over Bret Hart in the Montreal Screwjob, which is a whole story in itself. Even Michaels’ friend Triple H grew fed up with him at one point.

Many of Jordan’s teammates disliked him for his tyrannical behavior. They found his dedication and obsession with winning to be overbearing. Even his best running mate, Scottie Pippen, has publicly shared his dislike for Jordan. Jordan was a thorn in the side of his competitors off the court as well, holding grudges against rivals such as Isiah Thomas. He prevented Thomas from getting on the Dream Team after years of intense competition between the Bulls and Pistons.

Lastly, Jordan and Michaels both had vices that derailed parts of their lives. Jordan was and remains a gambler, while Michaels is a former drug addict. Jordan previously admitted to his poor decision-making, which cost him his family.

On the other hand, Michaels had to go through rehab during his first retirement, as his health was failing.

Kobe Bryant – Triple H

Triple H and Kobe Bryant have left an impact in their respective sports that will ripple throughout generations.

Kobe was one of the hardest workers in NBA history, coining the term “Mamba Mentality.” His never-say-die attitude led him to superstardom and five championships. It also led his body to deteriorate much quicker than it otherwise would have and sank his performance. However, Kobe’s lessons to the world about finding something you love and putting your mind to it will live on.

14-time world champion Triple H is no slouch in the work ethic department either. People know him for his hard-nosed training style and no-BS attitude. Participating in a sport where bodybuilder-esque physiques are paramount, Triple H’s work ethic extended outside the ring and into the weight room. His passion for that side of athletics is well-documented, as he even wrote a book about it.

In addition, Triple H’s legacy will always be tied to his time with factions such as The Kliq and DX. In the same way Kobe’s fans yell “Kobe!” when they shoot, DX’s fans yell “Suck it!” as they do DX’s famous crotch chop gesture.

Both athletes also succeeded after retirement while staying involved with their respective sports. Kobe won an Oscar for his short film “Dear Basketball,” coached his daughter Gianna’s basketball team to championships and worked with players such as Giannis Antetokounmpo. Triple H stays actively involved in WWE’s developmental brand, NXT, helping to train the next generation of wrestlers. He is also WWE’s Chief Content Officer, overseeing WWE creative.

Scandals

Kobe and Triple H don’t have a completely clean history, though, whether in their sport or in extracurriculars.

Long ago, former wrestler Chyna accused Triple H of cheating on her with his now-wife Stephanie McMahon. In the early 2010s, CM Punk grew fed up with Triple H’s backstage behavior. Recently, Triple H was accused of being aware of father-in-law Vince McMahon’s sex trafficking before it became public knowledge.

Kobe had an infamous sex scandal himself. In the early 2000s, a Colorado hotel employee accused him of raping her. He claimed the encounter was consensual but did admit to cheating on his wife, Vanessa. On the court, Kobe did not get along with teammates such as Shaquille O’Neal. While they captured three championships together, the entire basketball world knows about their history of disdain.

NBA x WWE

The names of the six athletes above will echo throughout history, but a detailed look at their lives and careers makes it easy to draw parallels between participants in two drastically different sports.