Interpersonal Communication In Basketball

Who is potentially the greatest basketball player in history has been argued for decades, but in more recent times, a newly found debate has emerged that includes the likes of Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Ever since each player debuted in their respective eras, they burst onto to the scene with skill sets never seen prior and made their mark on the game. As of right now, the general consensus is that Jordan holds that title, but various individuals are making the argument that LeBron is the greatest of all time. When considering this debate, there are several factors that involve interpersonal communication. Interpersonal communication is a process by which humans collectively create and regulate social reality. This is unique only to humans
as we can connect with any other human because each of us are human due to the same communicational skill sets. Interpersonal communication impacts us every single day due to the complexity since there are numerous forms of it. When studying Jordan’s as well as LeBron’s game, you must take into account nonverbal communication, roles and social cognition. First and foremost, nonverbal communication in basketball, and even sports is crucial as you cannot always say what you intend, therefore you need to be able to understand each other without saying a word.
Kinesics is the study of body movement. Be that as it may, kinesics show what Jordan and LeBron is thinking when they are making plays during the progression of the game. For example, in an isolation play Jordan and LeBron do not necessarily have the same movements. Jordan and LeBron both have developed their own individual emblems, self-adaptors, and even affect displays that fit the era each play/played in, so if they were put into a different era of basketball it may not work for them as effectively. A subcategory of kinesics is emblems which are gestures that have a specific agreed-on meaning. For example, the shrug that Jordan did when he couldn’t miss a three-point shot in a game or LeBron’s flexing when making a shot he is fouled
on.
Vocalics is the study of the use of voice. On the court, Jordan and LeBron aren’t just a physical presence, but a verbal one as well. No doubt, Jordan was known to be an extremely vocal player on the court as he utilized the qualities of voice to his advantage in order to get into the oppositions head and potentially take them out of the game mentally. “It was unfair because after breaking you down physically, Jordan knew what to say in order to mentally stir you up and make you reconsider ever returning to the court again” (Martinez). On the contrary, LeBron uses the qualities of voice in order to be a leader on the court and ensure that his team is functioning and performing to the maximum potential, not the way Jordan was known to do. “That’s not how James is. He doesn’t respond well to media back-and-forth, he does not drive himself through the trash-talk of others” (Deveney).
There are individuals who make the argument that LeBron is not playing like Jordan because he is limited in todays NBA. Furthermore, it is difficult to say who is a more dominate player as well if they could play the same way because there are not much similarities in their game when considering kinetic movement. Jordan was more of a pure scorer, whereas James is an all-around playmaker, this can be because of the eras they played in that consisted of different rules and competition level. Ultimately, Jordan and LeBron would both size up their defender and deliver a crossover to create separation, however, Jordan would usually shoot the jumper after regardless of how good the look is. On the other hand, LeBron can have a potentially good shot that he passes up to a teammate for a better one. LeBron was recently asked about the similarities between his and Jordan’s game at the age of 32, according to him, he does not see any in their game. “No. He was much more of a scorer, at that point [age 32] did a lot of post work, but our games are just different,” James said (Zucker). In addition, Jordan had much more of a mid range game with his patented fadeaway move as LeBron usually attacks the basket with his unrivaled strength and his signature jams. “Our shots are different. He had much more lift in his fadeaway than mine. That was definitely a go-to move of his, but our games are completely different” (Zucker). This is important to take into account when considering if LeBron can play like Jordan. By the same token, physical appearance is something to pay attention to in this debate as well. Similarly, Jordan and LeBron are of the mesomorph or athletic build, however, their build vary from each other. “For one, Basketball-Reference.com lists James at 6'8" and 250 pounds. Jordan gives up two inches (6'6") and over 50 pounds (195 lbs)” (Zucker). Arguably, this can also serve as a factor that explains as to why their styles of play are so different.
Social cognition is the study of cognitive structures or schemata that influence our perceptions of people and social events. Schemata are the mental frameworks of communication. When studying Jordan and LeBron, you must consider the schemas that come with each of them. Moreover, the expectations that are associated with Jordan and LeBron are quite similar as the media portrays them as the best of the best (the top of their respective eras) which is broadly and culturally accepted, so as a result, that is what is expected of them and nothing less. Consequently, if the people feel as if they have not met expectations, Jordan and LeBron find out quickly. By the same token, since Jordan played before LeBron, the expectations are much higher for LeBron to replicate and surpass Jordan’s accomplishments. Be that as it may, the scrutiny that LeBron faces is significantly more than Jordan has ever faced.
Role is evident in this debate as Jordan and LeBron have an identity that has come with the positions they occupy.
After all, the positions or social labels they possess come with behavioral guidelines in which they met expectations giving them their role. As far as basketball is concerned, due to their skill sets as well as the accomplishments they are the best player on the court each game they play in their respective eras. As a result, the role they each share is being the alpha. Thus, regardless of how they or their team performs, both Jordan and LeBron are under the microscope. So much so that even when they are not directly involved in certain situations, they are still mentioned. Furthermore, each understood that the expectations to fulfill that role were extremely high, so they dedicated everything to it through role rigidity. Role rigidity is when you focus so much on one particular role, that it takes over who we are. For this reason, Jordan as well as LeBron are in the conversation of being the greatest of all time. Paradoxically, both responded to this role in a different way. Jordan would do everything he could to win a game which included always shooting all of the difficult shots when the game was on the line. Strangely enough, LeBron also does everything he can to ensure a win, but he does not do it all alone as he includes his teammates when
necessary.
All things considered, the Jordan versus LeBron debate may never be settled due to the fact that they played at different eras. However, we can compare and contrast each of their games through statistics and even interpersonal communication. Furthermore, this debate and even sports have interpersonal communication in them, it demonstrates how universal it is. Above all, this will remain a debate as the only logical solution would be for them to play against one another which I’m afraid will not happen. All things considered, the closest we can get is through some sort of simulation along with analysis of the qualities and characteristics that make them, them.