Sports
The GOAT
A question pondered across the globe
The Discussion
Arguing over the greatest players ever is a common theme in sports all around the world. For or good or bad, the discussions need to be held. Personally, I think it is unfair to compare players, we should all just stop and appreciate the greatness we are witnessing because we may never see it again. There will never be a definitive answer because the entire argument is driven by different criteria and opinions. Nonetheless, I will fall into the same half-court trap, a relentless 1–3–1, when I hear this hot topic. So, who is the greatest basketball player of all time?
The Candidates
One obvious candidate is Michael Jordan. The six-time NBA Champion with six Finals MVP’s to go along with it is the goat to the majority of people today. The next contestant is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. This man isn’t the popular choice because he played a while back, but statistically, his accomplishments are through the roof. And our last competitor is . . . Lebron James. “The King” has been in the conversation since 2016 and he is not even close to the end of his NBA career, which is absurd.
Is it generational?
It seems that every time I join a debate on the greatest player of all time, the older people are too stubborn to give the proper props to a younger generation player. For example, on the show First Take, former Boston Celtic Kendrick Perkins takes issue with “old heads” Max Kellerman and Stephen A. Smith, huge Jordan fans who hate LeBron because he has dominated this new era.
Perkins believes that the old generation struggles to admit that the next generation’s “goat” might be better than theirs. “I sat down with three of my uncles the night before the 2020 NBA Finals, and we discussed who the greatest player was. They lived through the era of the 1960s-1980s and they never mentioned Michael Jordan’s name once. All they talked about was Wilt, Magic, and Kareem.”
Now instead of making a case for the all-time “goat”, we should probably be discussing the best player of each generation, but we all know that ain’t gonna happen because someone has to be better than all of them, right?
Statistics
Enough of that generational crap, now let’s take a closer look at the players’ cases for the “goat” title.
Kareem
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the most forgotten and underrated of these three candidates who may be the most decorated basketball player ever. Over a 20-year career, he won six NBA titles, two Finals MVPs, and six NBA League MVPs. Kareem is the current NBA’s all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points. Forget about his offensive ability for a second, he was an absolute beast on the defensive end too tallying up 3,189 blocks, 3rd on the all-time list. This 7-footer had the most unstoppable shot of all time that is known as “the skyhook.”
His college career was like no other. Jabbar hauled in three college titles with UCLA. He had three Final Four Most Outstanding Player awards along with three college player of the year awards. If you don’t want to call him the GOAT of the NBA you at least have to give him the GOAT of college basketball. When asked about this debate Jabbar says there is no definitive answer as to who the GOAT is. “The reason there is no such thing as the GOAT is that every player plays under unique circumstances,” said Jabbar. His point is valid, but there can only be one crowned and he certainly makes a case for it.
Air Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan was like nobody you had ever seen before. For playing in such a short period of time compared to the other two candidates, he sure racked up the awards quickly. He was absolutely dominant during his era in the 1990s. Jordan was named to 10 All-NBA first teams which means he was pretty much the best player in the league for at least 10 years. Jordan won league MVP five times as many believe he should have won more. With all respect to Karl Malone and Charles, their MVPs resulted from voter fatigue: People got tired of Michael Jordan and wanted someone new win the award. Jordan is also undeniably the greatest scorer the league has ever seen as he won the scoring title 10 times and had a career average of 30.1 points per game. Both of those stats are the most in NBA history.
The most impressive feat of his career is his six NBA titles and six Finals MVPs in a span of eight years which is ridiculous. A perfect 6–0 in the finals. People wonder if Jordan had not retired, could he have gone for eight in a row? Probably not, but if Jordan had accomplished that feat then we would not be having this conversation right now. Although I personally think his break helped him get that second repeat because he was gassed taking a beating from the physicality at this time.
King James
In 2003, LeBron entered the league as “the Chosen One.” James is probably the most scrutinized athlete in all of sports history as the media critiques everything he does. People forget the fact that nobody has had near as much hype as an 18-year-old kid than Lebron James. In fact, there were articles coming out before he even played his first game declaring that he will be the greatest player of all time. Imagine putting yourself in his shoes as an 18-year-old kid with no father, in a poor financial situation, expected to be the greatest to ever play. Both Jordan and Jabbar were great, but they didn’t have near the scrutiny nor hype that Lebron James had and still has.
It was with “the Block” that LeBron forever carved himself on NBA’s Mount Rushmore. With his team down 3–1 against the NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, holders of the greatest regular-season record of 73–9, James made a herculean effort as he was able to put back-to-back 40 plus point games in games 5 and 6, to force a game seven… we all know what happened in game 7. As Andre Iguodala raced down for an easy layup, LeBron came out of nowhere to pin the ball against the backboard.
We are comparing a player who is still the best player in the league in year 17, which has never been done before, to players who have been retired for 20 years or more. James has already entered this conversation for a while as he is still rewriting the history books and it seems like every time you watch him he breaks another record.
Other than scoring (Lebron is known as a pass-first guy) James leads in pretty much any other statistical category including rebounds, assists, blocks, field goal percentage, and 3-point field goal percentage. He already has more points than Jordan in the regular season as he is currently chasing Jabbar, and he already leads in playoff points by a landslide. He will keep stretching that lead until it is all said and done. He has been to 10 NBA Finals where he has won four titles with four Finals MVPs to go along with it. He has made the First Team All-NBA a record 13 times and has been selected to All-NBA 16 times. He is in the same discussion with Jordan in league MVPs — everyone knows he is the best in the league, but they won’t give it to him again because he has already won it 4 times. LeBron is remarkable and is showing no signs of slowing down as he approaches age 36: “I still have a lot of years left.” By the end of his career, he will likely be the most decorated player of all time as he will be at the top of the mountain in many statistical categories.
Peak or Longevity?
If greatness is based on longevity then Jordan would probably not be in this conversation. Kareem played 20 seasons in the NBA and sustained dominance until close to the end, averaging over 20 points per game at age 38. Lebron will play for lord knows how long, but he is one of the smartest and most durable players. Taking care of your body is a huge part of success and Lebron James has perfected that.
Jordan fans, however, value peak performance over longevity. In his 15 seasons, Jordan won 6 titles in an eight-year window. To Jordan fans, his 6–0 Finals record make Jordan the forever GOAT. As Stephen A. Smith said, “there is nothing Lebron can do to surpass Jordan now, oh wait there is one thing. Erase his six Finals losses!” Not only could Jordan score from anywhere, but he could defend the other team’s best player and flat out win at any cost.
The “Eye Test”
I’ll admit the only player I have seen play in my lifetime is LeBron James, so this section will be harder to analyze. In 2009, I was able to watch the King match up vs the Charlotte Bobcats. Unfortunately he did not play well as he scored a season low. Even though he played terribly he still gave me the sense that he was the best on the court because of his passing and play-making abilities. LeBron passed the “eye test”: he was different from everyone else.
When watching highlights of Kareem, yes he was amazing but does he blow your mind when he plays? Of course, he was dominant but I think when watching him we can admit he was a little boring. People want a little flashiness in the game and Kareem was never one to give you a sense of urgency when watching him play.
Now we’ll move onto LeBron. This guy can do anything and everything. He is a physical specimen like no other. At his 6"9, 260 lbs, LeBron is like a freight train when he goes to the basket. He can finish through more traffic than any other player could. What makes him different is that he’ll give you something new every time he steps on the floor because he changes his game depending on the team he plays, and what strategy they normally use. He is a basketball genius as he is one of the greatest passers ever, yet he can score from anywhere too. In some games, you will see him be dominant in the paint and score at will, and in other games, he will just mess around and get a triple-double. No other player in history could do that. In my opinion, he definitely gives me that “feeling” of “Wow I am watching one of the greatest to ever step on a court.”
Then there is Jordan. After watching a 10-part documentary called The Last Dance, Jordan gave me a “feeling” that I had never quite experienced before. His tenacity and will to win was unmatched. He was flashy yet flawless in every facet of the game. It seemed as if every shot he took was going in. Jordan made everybody else he played against look like puppets. The way he approached the game and his leadership ability were unlike anything I had ever seen. Being Jordan’s teammate meant two things: one being your season was most likely going to end with a championship parade, and two you might become his own personal punching bag.
“Let’s not get it wrong. He was an a-hole. He was a jerk,” Perdue said. “He crossed the line numerous times. But as time goes on and you think back about what he was trying to accomplish, yeah, he was a hell of a teammate.” — Will Perdue
Jordan knew to become a champion you had to pay a heavy price, but he was willing to pay it. Nobody in history (besides maybe Kobe Bryant) was willing to do whatever it took to win. Lebron leads in a more encouraging way, but Jordan had led in a way that he was going to push you until you broke, period. His teammates might not have realized it at the time but MJ had to know you were willing to go to war with him and be as tough as they come in order to win an NBA title. And his record obviously shows he did just that.
“You ask all my teammates, the one thing about Michael Jordan was, he never asked me to do something that he didn’t f — ing do… I wanted to win, but I wanted them to win and be a part of that as well. I don’t have to do this. I’m only doing it because it is who I am. That’s how I played the game.” — Michael Jordan
Air Jordan approached the game like no other, his drive to win at any cost is what pushes him over the hump.
The Consensus
Yes, we could certainly go on and on discussing statistics or intangibles, but at some points a decision must be made. All three played in different eras with different rules, but at the end of the day they still played basketball and each dominated their era. Do I think LeBron is the most impressive player of all time? Yes I do, but that doesn’t mean he is the greatest. He has lived up to expectations far more than the other two with people putting absurd amounts of pressure on an 18-year-old kid from Akron. Kareem and Jordan were great college players but they never had near the pressure James had.
After all of this, who is the GOAT? It’s Michael Jeffrey Jordan folks whether you like it or not. The man played on both ends of the court at the highest level and played it better than anyone else. His peak was far superior to anyone else's especially to the level of competition he played. He lead the league in scoring titles, was widely considered one of the best defenders of all time, and was a perfect 6–0 on the biggest stage. His resume is unmatched even with the five fewer seasons he played compared to Kareem and who knows how many less to LeBron. This is no knock to James and Kareem but they could not win at the rate Michael did, and at the end of the day winning is the only thing that matters. Michael Jordan is the GOAT as of 2020 but if LeBron James captures a few more titles with the Los Angeles Lakers I will definitely rethink my GOAT because James is still chasing the ghost from Chicago.
Works Cited
Doherty, Tim. “Michael Jordan: The Greatest of All Time.” Bleacherreport, 5 Nov. 2011, Accessed 20 Oct. 2020.
Greer, Jordan. “Michael Jordan’s Emotional Monologue from ‘The Last Dance’ Cuts to Core of His Leadership Style.” SportingNews, 11 May 2020, Accessed 20 Oct. 2020.
“Michael Jordan Vs. LeBron James: The Key Stats You Need to Know in the GOAT Debate.” Sporting News, 17 Oct. 2020, . Accessed 20 Oct. 2020.
“Lebron vs MJ.” Hosted by Espn First Take. First Take, narrated by Stephen A. Smith et al.
Moriello, John. “Michael Jordan’s List of Punched Players Includes Teammate Will Perdue.” Sportscasting, 4 May 2020, . Accessed 20 Oct. 2020.
Zillgitt, Jeff. “Day 52 without Sports 🏀: Don’t Forget Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Greatest NBA Player of All-time Debate.” USA Today, 2 May 2020, Accessed 20 Oct. 2020.
