The GOAT debate remains a hot topic in the NBA. Even though it’s not as recurrent as it was in 2020, fans, players, and analysts still discuss who is the greatest player to set foot on an NBA court.
While Michael Jordan and LeBron James take the most attention whenever this debate comes up, there are many names that people overlook when talking about the greatest of all time. One of those is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who dominated the game at every level, winning plenty of titles since he was young until his last years in the association.
His resume is impressive and the things he did on the court gave him a big case for the GOAT title. No doubt Isiah Thomas has picked him as his candidate in recent interviews. Nevertheless, the vast majority of fans and players don’t see Abdul-Jabbar as the GOAT since the debate always focuses on Jordan and James.
There was a time when things were different, though, and Dwyane Wade reflected on that. He recently explained that just like people forgot about Kareem, the younger generations will forget about Jordan as the GOAT (4:57).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISENOkL6Gho
“Yes it does. I mean like, of course. These GOATs, these names that we throw out, it’s not gonna just be a lot of those players. But the game continues to keep moving forward. And so we are gonna continue to see things that we have never seen before. And the eyes are gonna get younger and younger.”
“We are not going to have a conversation about the GOATs. Now it’s going to be the younger, younger, younger generation. And they’re gonna forget about Jordan like we forget about Kareem.”
Kareem won six NBA championships during his 20-year NBA career. He played for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers, becoming a legend in both franchises. Jordan won the same number of titles and many more individual accolades during his tenure.
The advantage he has over Kareem is that he took the NBA to become a global brand in the 90s. He was incredibly important in bringing more fans to see the games and opening new doors for the league. Perhaps social media will keep Jordan’s name relevant for many years to come, which wasn’t the case with Kareem. He’s a complete legend, but not so many kids are looking up to him.
So yes, Wade might have a point there, but things could change seeing all the exposure His Airness has had in recent years. Even though he doesn’t like social media, his presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram is huge, so it’ll take a minute before people forget about No. 23.
