LeBron James shone on the international stage in 2024, leading Team USA to the gold medal at the Olympics. James, who was named tournament MVP, also became the first man to win the gold in three different decades and Kendrick Perkins stated on Get Up, that he has further strengthened his status as the GOAT over Michael Jordan.
“The greatest of all-time and (Mike Greenberg) I know you might not like this, this morning but he got one up on MJ right now,” Perkins said. “LeBron James, he was consistently, since the start of this tournament, the best player on Team USA.
“Yes at 39 years of age, but he did it in all fashions,” Perkins added. “If you wanted him to guard every position on the defensive side of things, he did that. If you wanted him to play the point and get the team orchestrated and make sure some guys got the ball when they need it, he did that.
“If you wanted him to take over fourth quarters throughout the course of this Olympics, he did that,” Perkins continued. “Everything LeBron James did at this age was a beautiful thing to watch in the Olympics and he’s one up on Jordan right now. He’s been my GOAT but every time he gets one up on MJ because now he has three gold medals, MJ has two, I mean this is what we’re watching. He is the most important player in basketball.”
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There is no denying that what LeBron did at the Olympics was impressive. The 20-time All-Star averaged 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in the tournament while shooting 66.0% from the field. He delivered when it mattered most and deserves a ton of appreciation for that.
That said, I am not sure this triumph at the Olympics really does much in the GOAT debate. Sure, LeBron now has more gold medals, but he played at the grand event four times while Jordan played just twice and won it on both occasions (1984, 1992). Had NBA players been allowed to play at the Olympics in 1988, the Chicago Bulls icon probably would have had three gold medals too.
Even if you disregard that fact, having more gold medals than someone else hasn’t exactly elevated anyone in these all-time rankings. Kevin Durant just became the first male basketball player to win four gold medals and no one’s bumping him up in the rankings because of it. It’s a great accomplishment to win the gold, but it doesn’t really move the needle.
What would move the needle in James’ favor, is him winning another NBA championship. The 39-year-old has won four titles, four Finals MVPs, four MVPs, a scoring title, and an assists title in his storied career. He is also the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and has built up a strong case to be regarded as the GOAT.
Many still don’t consider it to be strong enough to dethrone Jordan, though, as he won six titles, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, a DPOY, and 10 scoring titles in his career. He never lost in the Finals either and had separated himself from the chasing pack before LeBron came around. I think the gap between them is closer than ever now, but James will need to win another championship to eclipse Jordan.
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