One of the hottest topics in all of sports, especially basketball, is what sounds like a simple question but is complicated when you dive deep into it: Who is the greatest of all time (G.O.A.T.) of basketball? When it comes to basketball, there’s usually three basketball legends that are widely considered to be the G.O.A.T: Michael Jordan, Lebron James, and Kobe Bryant.
However, comparing these players can be a challenging task, especially Jordan and James, because they never played in the NBA together. Even though it’s a challenging task, they can still be compared in some ways. While Bryant was still a legend, this debate comes down to just Jordan and James.
Jordan is easily the G.O.A.T. for a number of reasons. He is 6-0 in the NBA finals, he has ten scoring titles, five MVP’s, named to the all defensive team nine times, and so many other accomplishments. His greatest achievement though is easily his record in the NBA finals. In all of these finals, he’s won the MVP, and none of these finals went to a game 7. Jordan accomplished all of these plus more in just 15 years in the league.
Lebron James, another candidate for the G.O.A.T, also has some historical achievements and stats that are tough to beat. He is the all time leader in points, is top five in all time assists, and has won four NBA finals. James is still putting up wild numbers to this day in his 23rd year in the NBA, and his 23 years makes him the longest standing player in the NBA of all time.
Jordan’s record in the finals, added by all of his other achievements, make him pass Lebron in the G.O.A.T. debate. You could call Lebron the G.O.A.T. of longevity because of his long-standing career that he’s had, but calling him the G.O.A.T. in general in my opinion is too much for him. James may have more records than Jordan, but in my opinion most of Jordan’s records are more valuable than James’.
In a poll sent out to students at the high school about who they thought was the G.O.A.T., 43 people voted James as the G.O.A.T., 33 people voted Jordan as the G.O.A.T., 24 people voted Bryant as the G.O.A.T., 17 people voted Larry Bird as the G.O.A.T., and 12 people voted Shaquille O’Neal as the G.O.A.T. These were the top five players voted, but a couple honorable mentions include Stephen Curry with four votes and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with three votes.
This basketball debate could go on and on and really comes down to how you define greatness. Some people define greatness through statistics, some define greatness through legacies, and some define greatness through skills. Overall, these basketball legends have helped to forge and shape one of the most fun and popular games today.
