Caron Butler is one of the latest names to give his opinion on the never-ending GOAT debate. Butler approached the conversation in a different way, saying there should be more than one GOAT or at least separate them in eras.
He sat down to talk on ClutchPoints’ ‘Battle for LA Podcast’ with Tomer Azarly and Ryan Ward, where he explained his point of view. Butler believes people have to take a look at the entire history of the league and appreciate the great players we saw throughout these years.
“You have to look at everything [throughout NBA history],” Caron Butler said. “Michael Jordan was great, but the foundation was laid by the other greats. You look at guys like Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar], Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Jerry West, Magic [Johnson], Larry Bird, Dr. J [Julius Erving] – they guys laid out the groundwork.
“All of a sudden, Jordan came in and he remakes it. And then Kobe, Shaq, Olajuwon, all those guys remake it. Now LeBron, he came in and remakes it his way. And one day, someone else is gonna come, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, it’s just gonna be a remake after remake. They’re dominant players and eras.”
“Ultimately, when you look at the body of work of certain individuals, you gotta say Kareem, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James. They’re the cream of the crop. They stand out above so many others. Look, they’re all great. They’re all kings.”
That’s an interesting point. Instead of picking only one, Butler decides to appreciate all the greatness we’ve witnessed in the history of the game. A lot of fans will still pick one player as the GOAT due to several reasons, but there is no doubt that the game and the league have seen plenty of talents that can be considered the best of the best.
Butler picked the ultimate kings of the league and there is nobody who can disagree with that statement. They are the best of the best in NBA rich history.
