When it comes to the debate for being regarded as the greatest player of all time, usually people tend to choose either LeBron James or Michael Jordan. Even among them, the majority of people tend to tilt towards Jordan.
After all, MJ achieved a lot of things in the NBA. Apart from being a winner throughout his career, Mike was as iconic as it gets when he was an active player in the league. He played a huge part in the globalization of the league.
On the other hand, LeBron James is someone who was burdened with the responsibility of being the next big thing even before he entered the NBA. It must have been a huge burden on his shoulders and when we take in the fact that he was only a teenager at that point, it becomes even more impressive.
For the most part, LBJ has lived up to those expectations. He has won four NBA Championships, with the latest one coming when he donned the jersey of the Los Angeles Lakers.
When LeBron joined the purple and gold, it took the world by storm. His arrival led to many popular L.A. personalities being interviewed to learn their thoughts about James coming to the Lakers.
Among them was none other than the legendary actor Denzel Washington. Denzel made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s show, where he was asked about his thoughts on who is the greatest player of all time. Washington gave a cryptic response to the question, but it was evident he believed that MJ is the GOAT.
“Woah, ah man that’s hard. The greatest? … I was at the Chicago Bulls game with Spike Lee when Michael Jordan made that famous shot, I was there. And we went out to dinner that night, afterwards. … He was [the greatest] that night, he was that night.”
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Washington is one of the biggest Lakers fans out there. So it is quite understandable that he couldn’t outright say MJ is the GOAT without hurting the feelings of Lakers fans.
But he did reveal that Mike was the greatest on the night he made the famous shot against the Los Angeles Lakers in game 2 of the 1991 NBA Finals. At the end of the day, most people will stay firm on their stance of Jordan being the GOAT and Denzel Washington is certainly one of them.
