- Gilbert Arenas lauded Michael Jordan as the GOAT even before he finished his career
- The debate was about building a team around Jordan or LeBron James
- Jordan remains undisputed as the GOAT in the ever-raging
The latest episode of the Gil’s Arena podcast had Gilbert Arenas, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Brandon Jennings discuss a topic that was pretty intense and riveting.
When sharing their take on whether they would build their team around Michael Jordan or LeBron James, Arenas chose the Chicago Bulls legend and explained the why behind his decision.
“I would usually go with LeBron because I get everything. But when you’re talking about what made Jordan, Jordan, it’s that he had no reference to follow. He was considered the best player ever by his second championship, so from there; he’s just f***** around.”
“It’s not like LeBron who’s chasing someone. He’s still I still got to keep playing, but the other one already got the crown of the best before he had 18,000 points. With 18,000 points, he was considered the best player to ever touch the game. Everything else was cream on top.”
He further added:
“He was playing 80 games, that’s one thing that you can look at his resume and say, f*** he played every game. During the era where they were the most physical, so now you got an era where there is nobody physical like that? Oh my God.”
[Starts 1:03 onwards]
Arenas had his reasons cut out as to why he would build his roster around Jordan. The Bulls icon may not have had the same longevity as James, who will be playing his 21st season in the NBA when the 2023-24 seasons start, but he was by far the best player in the league, which was physically brutal and dominant during his time.
Jordan’s basketball came at a time the likes of Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman, and Charles Barkley were intimidating on the floor. And yet, he proved that he was better than the rest.
There’s no doubt that Jordan was already on the path to greatness even before his first three-peat. And if he ever had an inkling that he would have another generational superstar in James coming his way, he would have perhaps set the bar even higher.
Who Is The GOAT Between Michael Jordan And LeBron James?
Gilbert Arenas nailed it when he said Michael Jordan was ahead of his peers when he went on a rampage to score 18,000 points in the league, and he wasn’t done after that.
The fact of the matter is that between Michael Jordan and LeBron James, the former is still the GOAT.
An easy way to compare the two incredible players is to take a look at the number of accolades they have won in their respective decorated careers. Our very own Eddie Bitar wrote a detailed Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James comparison.
To name a few of MJ’s awards, he has six NBA Championships, six NBA Finals MVPs, five NBA MVPs, one NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, and 10 scoring titles.
James currently sits with four NBA Championships, four NBA Finals MVPs, four NBA MVPs, zero NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards, and one scoring title.
At 38, James theoretically still has a chance of surpassing Jordan as the greatest basketball player of all time, but until that happens, the latter remains undisputed.
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