One of the hottest debates in the NBA reached a new low point recently when three people were stabbed at a Pittsburgh bar in an incident that police say stemmed from an argument over whether LeBron James or Michael Jordan is the best basketball player of all-time.
According to Fox News, police say that at Ba'Runi Hotel Bar & Grille in Pittsburgh, a debate broke out between patrons over whether James or Jordan was the better player. The bar debate grew heated and led to a triple stabbing as the restaurant's owner, an employee and a patron were sent to the hospital.
WTAE in Pittsburgh reports that Michael Landeros has been charged with a misdemeanor of disorderly conduct and simple assault for the situation and his nephew Armando Encinas faces two counts of criminal homicide and three counts of criminal assault after the debate escalated into a bar fight stemming from what police are calling "sports trash talk" over the James and Jordan issue.
According to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, police say that the incident began when the two men charged criticized a customer for wearing a James jersey and said that Jordan was the only player that should ever be able to wear 23 because he's the "greatest ballplayer." Since James now dons the number six for the Miami Heat on his jersey, it is assumed that the victim was wearing a James jersey from his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Police then said the conversation between the two men and the customer escalated into a debate over the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it was unclear what exactly the confrontation was all about, though it was stated the two men didn't care for Pittsburgh sports teams. The paper reported that police said the conversation turned into harassment and eventually Landeros, 37, and Encinas, 23, began to engage in a physical fight with the patron.
According to Fox News, it was during the fight that Encinas stabbed customer Tim Edwards, restaurant owner Alex Barlamas and employee Robert Gavula. Edwards and Barlamas have been released from the hospital, according to the report but Gavula is still there because he was stabbed five or six times during the ordeal.
"We're lucky it wasn't a gun." Harmony Township police chief Jim Essek said, according to Fox News.
All three stabbing victims are expected to be fine, while Landeros and Encinas are locked up at the Beaver County Jail.
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