Jason Williams: THE G.O.A.T!!! 🐐👀 Ima start off by saying right off the bat that I got nothing but love and respect for everyone in this discussion! Anyone who knows me knows I always paid my respects to my OGs!! 🙏🏼 But I get asked all the time who the GOAT is to me when it comes down to MJ, Kobe, and LeBron! Ima let y’all know right now that in my humble opinion… KING JAMES IS THE 🐐🐐🐐!!!
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"All I know about Michael Jordan is through YouTube videos and the stories from old heads," said former Vanderbilt star Aaron Nesmith, who was born in 1999 and is projected as a top-15 pick in the 2020 NBA draft. "I was actually arguing with my high school coach the other day [over] why Michael Jordan is the GOAT. "For my generation, LeBron [James] is the GOAT. And he was arguing that Michael Jordan is the clear-cut GOAT -- there is no ifs, ands or buts."
The average team Jordan faced in his 37 playoff series posted a regular-season net rating of +4.58, which translates into somewhere between 53 and 54 wins using a Pythagorean win percentage calculator. The average team LeBron faced in his 45 (and counting) series posted a regular-season net rating of +3.97, which roughly equates to a 52-win team. (The difference shrinks when removing Jordan’s three first-round playoff defeats to much superior opponents, but it still exists.)
So why does MJ come out on top? There are two obvious reasons. One is that Jordan’s teams were much better than LeBron’s. Jordan’s Bulls averaged more than 58 wins a season with a net rating of +7.29, while James’s average club won 55 games. Jordan’s Bulls were also the Vegas betting favorite in 91 percent of their series beginning in 1988, the first year those odds are available,2 compared with just 76 percent for LeBron’s. You’ll never believe this, but better teams tend to win more in the playoffs than worse teams.
Get Up: .@JalenRose doesn't think LeBron has done enough to be ranked No. 2 all-time. "In this era of basketball, LeBron ain't stopping the great players from winning championships. They're getting their turn. There was no turn in [MJ's era]."
NBA Central: Bruce Bowen’s Top 5 Players of All-Time 1) Michael Jordan 2) Kobe Bryant 3) Bill Russell 4) Magic Johnson 5) Tim Duncan (Via @GetUpESPN )
Both agreed that LeBron James is the greatest athlete of all time. “I really believe if LeBron James had to play football, he may have been the greatest football player ever,” Doc Rivers even said that. “I don’t think there’s ever been a better, and Michael [Jordan] was a super athlete, so was Kobe [Bryant], so is Kawhi [Leonard], I don’t know if there has ever been an athlete in our league like LeBron James,” he added, per Jonathan Sherman of Lakers Daily. His son agreed, saying that there has never been someone with the abilities of LeBron. “I don’t think in sports,” he said. “I don’t think in sports we’ve seen anything like LeBron James,” the Rockets guard said, per Jonathan Sherman of Lakers Daily.
According to Hamilton, Bryant was the only player he was ever scared to play against. Here are his full comments: First of all, whoever voted and put Kobe [at 10] just flat out disrespected him. I feel like Kobe Bryant is the closest guy to Michael Jordan that we have ever seen. When you look at his stats and see, yes, he was an 18-time All-Star, he was a 15-time All-NBA player, tied with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but when Magic Johnson comes out and says Kobe Bryant is the best Laker of all time, that means better than him, and better than the guy Magic played with, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
According to Hamilton, Bryant was the only player he was ever scared to play against. Here are his full comments: First of all, whoever voted and put Kobe [at 10] just flat out disrespected him. I feel like Kobe Bryant is the closest guy to Michael Jordan that we have ever seen. When you look at his stats and see, yes, he was an 18-time All-Star, he was a 15-time All-NBA player, tied with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but when Magic Johnson comes out and says Kobe Bryant is the best Laker of all time, that means better than him, and better than the guy Magic played with, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Bleacher Report NBA: Quinn Cook's top 5. "MJ, Kobe, LeBron, KD, Shaq" - Quinn Cook reveals his top 5 NBA players of all time.
It might sound like an excuse, but James legitimately has a history of facing incredibly difficult odds when it comes to his Finals opponents, which has in turn greatly swayed his record in the all-important championship series. The teams that have beaten him in the playoffs boasted a 74.1 percent win percentage in the regular season – the highest mark among 25 NBA legends we looked up, ahead of Durant (73.3 percent) and Jordan (71.3).
First Things First: "Michael Jordan is obviously the greatest basketball player to ever play. LeBron James is the best basketball player in the league right now. But we're talking about league and greatest. Michael was the greatest in '93 when he retired from the game." — @WalkerAntoine8
Steve Nash Gives His NBA GOAT Rankings Of MJ, Kobe, & Lebron | ALL THE SMOKE
Harper doesn’t want to hear about LeBron James’ eight straight trips to the NBA Finals putting him on par with Jordan. “He’s the GOAT,’’ Harper said. “I like everything about LeBron. He’s up there. When it comes to winning, Michael is like Tom Brady. For my buck, MJ is the best basketball player to ever play — bar none.”
The latest was MJ’s former teammate Dennis Rodman, who described what he feels is the biggest difference between the two basketball superstars. “He [LeBron James] wasn’t bought up this way. I had that desire to win, I didn’t give a s**t what it took. I’ll do the dirty work, I don’t give a s**t. At the end of the day that ring is more important. For Mike [Michael Jordan] when he came up he had one thing in doing – I’m going if I didn’t beat your a** and do my job,” the ex-NBA champion said.
For many it’s unequivocally Jordan, as he’s gone 6-for-6 in the NBA Finals, compared to LeBron’s 3-for-6 record in the Finals. Morey views it much differently, however, but he added a minor detail change to help him make his pick. The Rockets general manager was on ESPN LA’s Mason and Ireland talk radio show and shared his take. “People love to talk about this. For sure LeBron is the greatest human to play basketball. That’s not even a question, but it’s not even fair to Michael Jordan to say that. LeBron is years later and the game has evolved. And every athlete is pretty much better than the athletes were 30 years ago. If you put MJ in the league now, that would be an interesting discussion but if you just want to say who is the best human to ever play basketball, I think it’s pretty obvious.”
Eddie Johnson: Look. Tired of these quote unquote GOAT officials! Ok MJ is 6-0 in finals, but Isiah beat him constantly and beat Bird and Magic. MJ beat Isiah once and a beat up Laker team once and never beat Boston! So Isiah is the Goat. Magic, Kareem, MJ, LBJ and Bird are all Goats! #Goat
What would Michael Jordan be if he played in the game today? Shaq: “He would average 45 [points], and the League would be complaining about two players. They’d be like, Mike is too good. And the kid down in Orlando is too dominant. What are we going to do?” Who is the greatest player ever? Shaq: “I’m going to have to say Michael Jordan because Michael paved the way for all the great guys that we have now. And 6-0 in the Finals without a legitimate big man. Went through a lot. Took a year off. Came back and won three in a row. He’s definitely the greatest player.”
NBA Central: Shaq says Michael Jordan is the greatest player of all time “You can't say 'I'm the greatest player,' you have to let your peers and everyone else say who the greatest player is." 👀 (🎥 @GetUpESPN ) pic.twitter.com/TxYrJrP5Bf
Here is what NBA legend Isiah Thomas had to say on who is the GOAT for him on the latest ‘Inside The Green Room’ podcast: “My GOAT is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. There is no person in the history of all sports, from grade to school to high school, to college, to the NBA that had a better basketball playing career than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. And then when you take into account what he’d done in terms of social justice during that period of time, the stance he took outside off the playing field, those are big things in my mind in terms of what the GOAT was,” he said.
NBA Central: Mario Chalmers says Michael Jordan is the greatest player of all time “Not even a question.” (🎥 @Nikos Varlas ) pic.twitter.com/PkLMhsp6KR
Kendrick Perkins: We can debate about who’s the GOAT on the court but when it comes down to who’s the GOAT off the court it’s not even a DEBATE!!! LeBron James is the Greatest Athlete off court EVER.
Among other things, Chalmers also paid his respects to Michael Jordan when asked to pick between him and LeBron James. “He’s the GOAT, not even a question.”
First Things First: "If LeBron James played back in the 90s he would adjust to the physicality. If Michael Jordan were in today's era he would practice the 3-pointer more. When MJ entered the NBA he wasn't a good mid-range shooter & became arguably the best mid-range shooter ever." — @Chris_Broussard
Charles Barkley isn’t putting LeBron James and Kobe Bryant into the elite of the elite in NBA history. The Hall of Famer left the two modern-era stars out of his top 5 NBA players of all-time when asked what his list would be during an appearance on Kentucky coach John Calipari’s “Coffee with Cal” show this week. “Michael’s [Jordan] one, Oscar Robertson’s two,” Barkley said. “[Bill] Russell, Wilt [Chamberlain] and Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar], no particular order after Michael.”
Miami Heat president Pat Riley recently gave high praise to Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James. While reminiscing on the formation of the Heat’s Big 3, the former head coach revealed he believes James is arguably the best player ever. “After July the first, I just laid it out on the table,” Riley recalled. “LeBron and Chris [Bosh], two of the greatest players in our game. And LeBron, maybe the greatest player of all time, with Dwyane [Wade]. All you have to do is put it on the table.”
Spencer Dinwiddie: And just for added context I definitely think MJ had the best prime NBA years of all time. And that Kareem is the basketball GOAT. But y’all thought MJ was a God in the 80’s/90’s because he was 6’6 with a 40 I’m 6’6 with a 40 in 2020 and y’all think I’m unathletic Rolling on the floor laughing
Since Thomas competed against some of the greatest players of all time, I ask him before he gets off the phone to rank, 1-5, the best players of all time based on his first-hand experience -- those he saw, those he competed against. He gives me this list: Kareem Bird Magic Jordan Dr. J "None of them can adequately tell their story without the Detroit Pistons," he says. "Either we were good or we weren't."
Worthy voiced his opinions on Danny Green’s podcast Inside the Green Room, not surprisingly opting for Jordan who he was able to actually play against. “It’s tough man, I’m winning with either one. We’ve never seen a physical physique like LeBron James. LeBron James had it since he came into the league, I mean he could go play middle linebacker or tight end for the Dallas Cowboys right now…. If I had to make my choice, I’m going with MJ because I played with him. I know he’s deadly, and I don’t think there’s anybody in the league today that has the tenacity that he had. Michael’s not nice. I don’t know man, I love LeBron. I’m going to have to go with my boy, cuz he chose me.”
First, on Jordan, Falk went on and on about how he would not only dominate today's NBA if he were in his prime, he would basically be twice as good as he was. "With virtually zero defense, no hand-checking, I think if Jordan played today; if he was in his prime in today's rules, I think he'd average between 50 and 60 a game. I think he'd shoot 75% from the floor. If you couldn't hand-check him, he would be completely unstoppable," Falk said. "Now that I watch [the documentary], I realize that, unless you're legally blind, you can't possibly think that there's another player who ever played the game that's remotely in the league that he's in. Nobody."
"I hope personally, and I'm sure it won't, that the doc ends all talk about like is Jordan competitive with LeBron? He's in a different league. If you don't see that with your eyes, maybe the doctor's office can help because you should have an eye test," he said.
Worthy voiced his opinions on Danny Green’s podcast Inside the Green Room, not surprisingly opting for Jordan who he was able to actually play against. “It’s tough man, I’m winning with either one. We’ve never seen a physical physique like LeBron James. LeBron James had it since he came into the league, I mean he could go play middle linebacker or tight end for the Dallas Cowboys right now…. If I had to make my choice, I’m going with MJ because I played with him. I know he’s deadly, and I don’t think there’s anybody in the league today that has the tenacity that he had. Michael’s not nice. I don’t know man, I love LeBron. I’m going to have to go with my boy, cuz he chose me.”
First, on Jordan, Falk went on and on about how he would not only dominate today's NBA if he were in his prime, he would basically be twice as good as he was. "With virtually zero defense, no hand-checking, I think if Jordan played today; if he was in his prime in today's rules, I think he'd average between 50 and 60 a game. I think he'd shoot 75% from the floor. If you couldn't hand-check him, he would be completely unstoppable," Falk said. "Now that I watch [the documentary], I realize that, unless you're legally blind, you can't possibly think that there's another player who ever played the game that's remotely in the league that he's in. Nobody."
"I hope personally, and I'm sure it won't, that the doc ends all talk about like is Jordan competitive with LeBron? He's in a different league. If you don't see that with your eyes, maybe the doctor's office can help because you should have an eye test," he said.
David Blatt as part of the Partner TV expert panel on the documentary series, “The Last Dance”, explained why he considers Michael Jordan bigger than LeBron James, Israel Hayom relays. “Michael Jordan is bigger than LeBron James,” he pointed out on Sunday commenting on the latest episodes made available, “He won the most championships with one single team and did not focus on the “I” but on the “us”. But surely, in terms of ability and influence, they are both included in the top five best players in history.”
“Now let’s talk about LeBron. LeBron is just a physical freak of nature. 6’8” 260lbs, can jump out – in my opinion, LeBron is the best ATHLETE to play in the NBA. But skill wise, he is NOT on the level of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. I know he’s a three-time champion if he continues to be the all time leading scorer in the League, however he’s not on that with those guys as far as skills and that’s why I had to put it – this is me. I’m gonna go: Michael. Kobe. LeBron. That’s how I put ’em.”
David Blatt as part of the Partner TV expert panel on the documentary series, “The Last Dance”, explained why he considers Michael Jordan bigger than LeBron James, Israel Hayom relays. “Michael Jordan is bigger than LeBron James,” he pointed out on Sunday commenting on the latest episodes made available, “He won the most championships with one single team and did not focus on the “I” but on the “us”. But surely, in terms of ability and influence, they are both included in the top five best players in history.”
“Now let’s talk about LeBron. LeBron is just a physical freak of nature. 6’8” 260lbs, can jump out – in my opinion, LeBron is the best ATHLETE to play in the NBA. But skill wise, he is NOT on the level of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. I know he’s a three-time champion if he continues to be the all time leading scorer in the League, however he’s not on that with those guys as far as skills and that’s why I had to put it – this is me. I’m gonna go: Michael. Kobe. LeBron. That’s how I put ’em.”
"Wilt said to Jordan, 'The difference between you and me is that they had to change the rules, so I couldn't dominate. They changed the rules for you so that you could dominate.'“ @IsiahThomas shares Wilt Chamberlain's argument for why he should be considered the GOAT Downwards arrow
BETOnline used geotagged Twitter data on 100,000 tweets from the past week to determine where each of the 50 states fall on the GOAT debate. 26 states were in favor of Michael Jordan, while that left 24 putting their support behind LeBron James.
"I think this generation [of players] is not getting enough credit for what they're doing," Thomas said. "Because the athletes that are in this generation are so far superior than what was in my generation. [When we were playing], Jordan was the best athlete that we had ever seen, [but] from an athletic standpoint, there are like 10 or 11 guys in the NBA right now with Jordan's athleticism. We didn't have that back then. With what [Kevin Durant] and LeBron are doing, if you put them back in the era of the '80s, with their talent, their athleticism and their skill, who's the GOAT?"
Appearing on ESPN’s First Take, when asked my Mex Kellerman who the next best player is after Jordan, his answer was none other than the Big Fundamental. “Tim Duncan was a marvelous player. He played the game from the four, the five position. He was one of the unique players, like a Michael Jordan, who could get to spaces on the court you couldn’t do anything about.”
Frazier also cited rule changes designed to limit Chamberlain, who famously dumped 100 points on the Knicks. “There were only two players they ever changed the rules for in pro basketball – George Mikan, and Wilt Chamberlain — widening the lane for them,’’ Frazier said. “The two guys they had to neutralize by changing some aspect of the game. If not for Chamberlain, nobody would’ve heard of any of us. I don’t know if there would’ve been an NBA. If not for Wilt and Bill Russell. I don’t know if the NBA would’ve made it. “I would find it hard to say Mike. Mike is right there with those guys, but if I had to pick, it would be Chamberlain.’’
Unprompted, Denver Nuggets coach Mike Malone offered his opinion on the endless comparisons between Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Malone sided with the player he grew up watching (Jordan) instead of the player he coached as an assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers (James). "It's always an ongoing argument about who is the GOAT. Michael obviously is up there and is the greatest of all time," Malone said Tuesday in a Zoom call with reporters. "There are not many Michael Jordans out there. I coached LeBron James for five years and have a great relationship with him. LeBron did not have the same mindset or killer mentality that Michael Jordan is supposed to have had. But LeBron James is arguably the greatest of all time as well."
Tacko Fall: Who are your top 5 basketball players of all-time? There's no way I can pick 5, there are so many. From the old school guys, I'm a big fan of Kareem, Bill Russell, Hakeem, Dikembe, Tim Duncan, LeBron…
Like seemingly everyone else, Todd has been watching “The Last Dance” on ESPN. And while some people his age argue for LeBron James as the GOAT over Jordan, Todd is a Jordan fan. “I always knew in my heart that Michael Jordan was the greatest of all time,” he said. “I looked up to LeBron and KD because he’s from Baltimore, but now I kind of look at the same guys but I look at Ja Morant’s game, too. I look at Ja Morant and Anthony Davis.”
Asked if he now considers Jordan the greatest of all time, Frazier stopped short. “I always ask what’s the criteria when you say the greatest ever,’’ Frazier said. “If it’s Superman, it’s Wilt Chamberlain. I have (Kareem) Abdul-Jabbar as a career-leading scorer. Versatility is Oscar Robertson. Winning is Bill Russell. Those are the four guys. Actually I’d say Wilt Chamberlain because when we played in the 70s and flied commercial, you go through the airport and people would say either ‘Are you a Globetrotter or Wilt Chamberlain?’ That’s all the people knew.’’
But the timing of his agreeing to cooperate with the producer Mike Tollin is apt: As Tollin said in an article in The New York Times last week, Jordan’s cooperation to participate in the documentary and greenlight the release of the long-hidden footage came on the same day that James and the Cleveland Cavaliers were celebrating winning the N.B.A. championship in 2016. That is some grain of salt. “I take a redeye to Charlotte for a meeting, I turn on ESPN in the morning as I’m getting dressed, and there’s the Cavaliers’ parade as I’m heading in to see Michael,” Tollin said of his first face-to-face meeting with Jordan and his business advisers Estee Portnoy and Curtis Polk. “He said yes in the room, which doesn’t happen too often in my business.”
In addition, Larkin considers Sergio Llull the most clutch player and Vassilis Spanoulis a super legend, enjoys watching Facundo Campazzo, picks Michael Jordan over LeBron James, and selects Allen Iverson as his favorite player.
NBA Central: “Bron is the best all-around player we’ve ever seen, but he hasn’t passed Kobe or Jordan.” - Stephen Jackson pic.twitter.com/SwbhnLaeBe
Eric Paschall: I think the debate between Lebron and Jordan has to stop. At this point it’s all about personal preference and who you like. Another thing. We can’t forget about adding Kobe! They are all greats! It’s more about who you like more because we can never just say one person! 🤷🏾♂️
NBA Central: Jalen Rose says LeBron needs to pass players like Kareem,Russell and Magic before entering the GOAT convo (🎥 @GetUpESPN)
Evan Turner: That #TheLastDance doc has a lot of people talkin crazy about the GOAT. Mj is the best to ever do it.
Trae Young: I feel like this documentary gonna make me put MJ #1, instead of #2... Can’t Wait!!! #LastDance
Caron Butler: Top 10 All Time??? I’ll definitely change the order but I like the list. Goat’s
Caron Butler: Top 10 All Time??? I’ll definitely change the order but I like the list. Goat’s
First Take: "I firmly believe that [LeBron James] is the best basketball player in the history of the game." Former "Bad Boy" Piston, and Michael Jordan opponent, Bill Laimbeer.
Kendrick Perkins: My Top 5 All-Time List!!! Michael Jordan LeBron James Kobe Bryant Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Larry Bird
Justin Anderson: 1. Bron 2. MJ 3. Kobe 4. Shaq 5. Dirk
Trae Young: MY TOP 5... 1. LBJ 2. Jordan 3. Kobe 4. KD 5. Steve Nash Don’t @ me
Trae Young: MY TOP 5... 1. LBJ 2. Jordan 3. Kobe 4. KD 5. Steve Nash Don’t @ me
Trae Young: The Greatest Ever #GiveCreditWhereItsDue
We looked at the MVP voting from each season and awarded points based on every player who finished in the Top 10. Those who won the trophy received 10 points while runner-ups received nine. We then worked backward with a decreasing point assignment until the player who finished tenth in MVP votes received one point. This favors players who were among the most elite of the elite several times in their professional basketball careers. Based on this exercise, James finished at No. 2 overall – the same place he finished in the controversial rankings from Bleacher Report last month. But unlike in that list, where LeBron finished behind Michael Jordan, he trailed only six-time NBA Most Valuable Player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for this.
Allen Iverson: I was discouraged when I seen that @kobebryant wasn’t top 10 on the all time on this @bleacherreport list and I’m not even on it. What’s the criteria?? Is it based on stats, cultural influence, a personal preference, or what because it can’t be about basketball.... How’s a MVP, 11x All Star, 2x All Star MVP, 7x All NBA, Rookie of the Year, 3x Steals leader, 4x Scoring Champ, 76x 40 point game scorer, 11x 50 point game scorer, a career high 60 point game, career scoring average of 26.7, 2nd leader in playoff ppg average not on this list???? It has to be something else because I don’t understand it. Name me 49 nba players that has this on their resume??? LOL
Bill Laimbeer, four-time All-Star and two-time NBA Champion with the Detroit Pistons, has weighed in on his take regarding who he believes is the greatest NBA player of all time. The GOAT debate between Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and former Chicago Bulls great Michael Jordan continues to rage among basketball fans and NBA Twitter. But in Laimbeer’s mind, there’s no question, according to a Bleacher Report article by Scott Polacek: “I’ll take LeBron James every day of the week,” Laimbeer said when comparing the King to Michael Jordan during his appearance this week on The Odd Couple with Chris Broussard and Rob Parker of Fox Sports Radio.
The five-time champion spoke with Mike Greenberg of ESPN in an exclusive interview, revealing his true feelings on the issue. “It’s hard for people to believe, but I really don’t care,” said Bryant with a smile. “I’ve moved on. You have a career, you do the best you can for the 20 years I was fortunate to play and then you shelf it. You’re done. You move on to the next thing. Now I’m focused on these next 20 years. “Those debates are entertaining, I’m sure it’s fun for people to engage on those, but for me personally, it doesn’t matter.”
