1. Politics

2. They are older folks (>40) and like most old people, they pine for the good ol' days. So they will always prefer past players over current ones. Nostalgia trumps facts.

The fact is that all the top NBA players now are better than Jordan ever was, and yes, in 20 years all the top players will be better than LeBron is now. Jordan would be at best an average player in today's NBA, and LeBron will be average compared to the NBA players in 2044.

That is the nature of sports. Always progressing, more competitive, better athletes. If you don't believe me look at NBA basketball in the 1950s. Those guys sucked. My local high school team now could beat them. But back then they were the best in the world.

This is why you can only compare to your current era, because the next era will always be way, way better.