Michael Jordan’s agent recently claimed that LeBron James does not belong in the GOAT conversation and Jordan is the undisputed GOAT because if he were allowed to assemble superteams like LeBron James, he would’ve had 15 championships. Stephen A. Smith of ESPN went on First Take and doubled down on this take from David Falk.
He said, “[Falk] ain’t lying about the comparison to Jordan. If Jordan had picked to assemble a superteam, you damn right he would have won about 10 titles.”
The GOAT debate, according to Jordan, has now become a toxic debate that transcends both time and logic. If hypotheticals became the objective criteria for deciding the GOAT, the debate would never end. However, it cannot be denied if Jordan teamed up with the great players he went up against, like Charles Barkley or Hakeem Olajuwon, he would definitely have more championships than he did.
However, this is not an objective criterion to determine whether he is better than LeBron James. This cannot be used as a shot on LeBron James’ career. James arguably brought player empowerment to the level at which it is today. He has arguably done more to empower the players than any player active in the NBA at the moment. If anything, James knew how to give fans the most entertaining form of basketball, where most of the best players in the world can team up to deliver fans the highest quality of basketball.
What Michael Jordan Feels About The GOAT Debate
According to a report from Elliot Barnes of the Chicago Tribune, Michael Jordan decided to step out of retirement to return to the NBA as a special contributor in NBC’s coverage of the league next season with an ulterior motive.
As per the report, (relevant excerpt from the report) “After NBC finalized its multi-billion-dollar deal to re-enter the NBA broadcast space beginning in 2025, executives were shocked when they were contacted not by Jordan’s agent, but by Jordan himself.
“He didn’t just want a paycheck or to show up a few times,” said an NBC senior producer familiar with the discussions. “He wanted to be involved. He had a vision. And it had nothing to do with nostalgia. Frankly, it took us a minute to realize what he was really trying to do.”
According to multiple insiders, Jordan is not returning to television to relive his six championships, nor to prop up the endless GOAT debate that’s fueled ESPN, YouTube debates, and barbershops for two decades. Instead, Jordan is coming back to dismantle the toxic narrative surrounding his name.
“Mike thinks the game has evolved,” one longtime associate shared under the condition of anonymity. “But his fans haven’t. And he sees that as a problem. A real problem.” [End of excerpt]
Jordan allegedly believes that his name has been weaponized to symbolize perfection in basketball. He believes that delusional fans use his name to constantly compare today’s era of players and not give them the respect they deserve. By indulging in this debate, his former agent is certainly not making Jordan happy. Now, Stephen A. Smith’s comments will certainly not please James either.
