Why Neither Jordan nor Lebron is the G.O.A.T.
Before I begin, this article is my opinion.
On every morning sports show, there seems to be a segment devoted to the question “Who is the best basketball player in history”. No matter the show or who is on it, the answer seems to be either Michael Jordan or Lebron James. Jordan’s supporters point out his six rings as their biggest argument. James’s supporters point out his accomplishments. I will argue that neither player is the greatest of all time. I will even double down and I will argue that neither is in the Top 5. However, before I name who is the greatest of all time, it is important to ask how we determine who is the greatest of all time.
There are effectively two criteria I will use to define who is the best basketball player of all time. These two criteria are based on one hypothetical situation. If you were a general manager of a team where you could draft any NBA player in their prime and you were competing against nine of your friends, who would you draft first? This player would be the anchor for your team and, therefore, would be your greatest player of all time. The two criteria one would use to select the #1 pick would not only be the skill/talent/ability of the player compared to their peers during the same era but also how the player fit strategically. Whether you want an offensive or defensive team or what specific tactics you would want to employ would drastically alter how one would select their team. My strategy is simple, get the player who is unstoppable and the player who can stop other players. Unfortunately, for Jordan’s and James’s supporters, this is where their player falls short.
This is not to dismiss how talented these individuals are but instead to reflect the nature of basketball itself. Michael Jordan is the greatest shooting guard of all time and Lebron James is the greatest small forward of all time. But, each player had a strategy that could be employed to beat them. Ask Detroit about the “Jordan Rules” (which actually worked for three seasons before the Pistons got old). Ask Mark Cuban about the 2011 NBA Finals. Each team had a strategy to limit the ability of each superstar to take over. This is why as an anchor selecting an outside player, such as a guard or small forward, would be risky. The strategy to stop them is sending multiple bodies to make them uncomfortable and then if they went inside, have a bouncer escort them to the gates of heaven. While the smaller guards may be more skilled, they do not have the size to compete against the bouncers on the inside and can be managed on the outside with additional players. It is a strategy of “bend, don’t break” that historically has worked with the right coaching. With my first player selected, I want a player who would either break the other team’s defense or break anyone who comes inside.
This is why if you are a general manager with the number #1 pick, you should select the best center of all time. After all, if you have the best defensive center of all time, you can send more bodies to help the perimeter defense. If you have the best offensive center of all time, you can control the inside and open the perimeter to your other players. Neither Jordan nor James are an unstoppable force or an immovable object. The top 5 centers are both. Instead of Jordan or James, I would rather have a player who had an unstoppable shot. I would rather have a player who scored a 100. I would rather have a player who had 11 rings. I would rather have a player who won the MVP, NBA Finals MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and a ring within the same season. I would rather have, as Stephan A. Smith would say, “the most dominant force I have ever seen in the history of basketball” which not only broke opposing defenses but the game itself. These five players are the best anchors you can select for your team.
Personally, I would rank the Top 5 players in this order. Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Bill Russell. However, you can easily order these players in any order that you like. Regardless, if you do not have one of these five players on your team, there will be a big hole right near the basket that your opponent will take advantage of. So, either you need to have multiple big men on the court which leaves you vulnerable on the perimeter or accept your fate. In basketball, skill is incredibly important; but so is size. These five men have both. This is why I would select any of them ahead of Michael Jordan or Lebron James.
