The GOAT conversation will always rage on because there’ll never be a definitive way to say Michael Jordan was better than LeBron James or that LeBron was better than Jordan. Whatever you value in terms of basketball achievements will weigh one above the other. Many modern fans also never saw Jordan play which makes them choose LeBron.
Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox did the same by picking LeBron over Jordan in an interview with HoopsHype.
“What MJ did in 15 years is crazy. But what LeBron’s done in his career and is still doing is nuts. I would say Bron, I didn’t watch Michael Jordan play, so I’m not going to pick somebody I didn’t watch play.”
This debate is never-ending, but Fox’s reason for picking LeBron is fair. He can’t really advocate for Jordan being the GOAT when he wasn’t alive in the basketball culture that Jordan dominated. He’s seen LeBron be a top-five NBA player for over two decades of his life and competed against him, so his reasoning is sound.
Players who saw both and played against both often give the nod to Jordan due to his greater accomplishments over a shorter span of time. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has worked in the league at the same time as both players and even he prefers Jordan over LeBron.
It’s hard to argue against any Jordan fan as well, with Jordan’s accomplishments on the court over his career still yet to be replicated. He averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2.3 steals over 15 years in the NBA, winning six titles, six Finals MVPs, five regular-season MVPs, one Defensive Player of the Year, and 10 scoring titles.
LeBron is a different beast, as he didn’t maximize achievements over a short time like Jordan did but has rewritten the book on longevity in the NBA with his career. He’s been one of the best players in the league for his entire 22-year career, something that is a completely baffling achievement given the 77-year history of older players declining rapidly the older they get.
If James plays next season, he will set the new NBA record for most seasons played. When Vince Carter set that record in 2019-20, he was on the absolute last legs of his career and averaged 5.0 points. James, in Year 22, just rattled off four consecutive triple-doubles like it was nothing.
A fifth championship for James wouldn’t give him the GOAT crown, but winning five titles and going to 11 NBA Finals while dominating the league for over 22 years would be a compelling case for James in the conversation as well.
Anyone dismissing the debate because of how significant Jordan’s short-term achievements were compared to LeBron’s is doing a disservice to the debate.
These debates will go on forever, with potentially new players entering the conversation as the years go by. Given a large chunk of young adults like Fox have never seen Jordan play basketball, an overall sentiment shift toward James might be upon us with younger voices becoming more prominent in sports media.
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