Even Michael Jordan has to select who the best player is between two NBA megastars. His Airness is often the subject of controversy in the never-ending GOAT debate, but there was a time where MJ was the one picking between two players.
While promoting NBA 2K14, he was interviewed by legendary reporter Ahmad Rashad. At the time, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant were the best two players in the world. Jordan had the not-so-easy task of picking one of them, but he got jokes, taking a different route.
“That’s a tough one. I’d say… Kevin Durant. Nah, I’m kidding,” MJ replied while laughing.
He then got a little more serious, explaining the differences between James and Bryant and why one should be considered better than the other.
“In terms of dominance in the game of basketball at this stage, it’s LeBron. Championship-wise, it’s Kobe,” Jordan continued. “He wants it so bad, he’s willing to go to the extreme, guarding a point guard at the age of 34 for 38 minutes, 40 minutes… It is what it is, he’s cursed as much as I am. If I had to pick between the two, that’d be a tough choice, but 5 [championships] beat one.”
MJ kept it real this time. LeBron and Kobe were fighting to be the best player in the NBA, but for the GOAT, Kobe’s titles gave him the edge over The King.
Now we see people arguing about who the greatest player of all time is between Jordan and James, showing how much things have changed in the last decade. Many people consider Jordan, James, and Bryant the three best players of all time, and it’s hard to disagree with them.
These players have big legacies in the league after recording great seasons and collecting plenty of accolades during their careers, leaving no doubt that they were generational talents.
