The GOAT conversation is probably one of the NBA’s biggest debates. With players like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Karem Abdul-Jabbar all having a pretty solid case, nobody can come to a consensus on who basketball’s greatest player ever really is.
To Warriors’ forward Kelly Oubre Jr., however, nobody in today’s era can be considered the GOAT — thanks to the “soft” state of the current NBA.
“This game today is a little bit more soft. To call anybody a GOAT is disrespectful to… the hard-earned award Mike and Kobe have won.”
"This game today is a little bit more soft, to call anybody a GOAT nowadays is disrespectful to…. the hard-earned awards Mike and Kobe have won."
Kelly Oubre says there can't be a GOAT from today's game.
EPISODE: https://t.co/ecsX47PPkV pic.twitter.com/fs5Lq7BsF1
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) March 24, 2021
It’s certainly true that the NBA we see today isn’t what it was during Jordan’s (or even Kobe’s) era. Back then, it was much more physical and overall just a lot grittier.
Today, things have become much easier for players — whether by the “empowerment” movement, the restrictions of physical contact, or the explosion of the three-pointer.
And while we disagree that it disqualifies anyone from today’s era from being in the GOAT conversation, it certainly adds some more to talk about in the grand scheme of things, especially when considering LeBron’s place in it all.
