The NBA began its journey as a league back in 1946. Since then, the league has changed beyond recognition, and rightfully so. But one thing that has been pretty common over the league’s existence is the presence of a clear-cut face of the league. However, there have been many players who were a close second to said faces of the league.
Keeping in mind that each decade has had a phenomenal player who can be considered the GOAT of that time span, the GOAT debate has gained a lot of traction over the years. Right now, most consider Michael Jordan as the GOAT of the NBA.
If there’s someone who is a close second to MJ, it’s none other than LeBron James. But how about we throw the traditional GOAT debate out of the window and focus on the GOATs of each decade? Starting from the 1960s.
John Salley Picks His GOAT For Each Decade
Former NBA big man John Salley recently made an appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast. During the interview, Salley talked about a plethora of things. For example, he explained why the NBA won’t let LeBron James break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring record.
In the same interview, Salley was also asked by Sharpe to pick his GOATs of each decade, starting in the 1960s. Salley’s GOATs are as follows:
1960s: Oscar Robertson
1970s: Jerry West
1980s: Magic Johnson
1990s: Michael Jordan
2000s: Shaquille O’Neal
2010s: LeBron James
https://twitter.com/ClubShayShay/status/1590097291674677248
Apart from that, the 4x NBA champion also believes that Ja Morant will be the GOAT of the 2020s over the likes of Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Most of the choices that Salley unveiled were pretty spot on, but he may have been wrong about the GOAT of the 2000s.
We mean no disrespect to Shaquille O’Neal, as he is arguably the most dominant player to ever play in the NBA. But ignoring Kobe Bryant’s name can upset a lot of fans, and rightfully so. Kobe was a sensational player during the 2000s, and he won five NBA Championships alongside a plethora of other records to make his case.
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