The Los Angeles Lakers have just won the 2020 NBA Finals over the Miami Heat, and LeBron James was named MVP of the Finals. Naturally then, it is time to restart the always entertaining and educational debate over just who is the basketball GOAT (Greatest of all Time).
Before delving into that particular argument, it bears mentioning that the passage of generations tends (unfairly so) to obscure the legacies of past greats, and puts the spotlight solely on today’s stars.
I imagine at one time the barroom GOAT arguments were centered around the likes of Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Oscar Robertson. In the ‘80s it was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, “Magic” Johnson, and Larry Bird.
In recent years it has been Michael Jordan, the late Kobe Bryant, and now LeBron James. So what to make of this? Certainly, there have been few (if any) basketball centers as dominant in their times as Russell and Chamberlain. The latter may have been one of the first to need only a first name mention, “Wilt.”
For purposes of this article, I will concentrate on the MJ vs. LeBron debate. With all due respect to the late and great Kobe, it is my humble opinion that Jordan and James are both above him in any GOAT debate. Which is not to deny his own greatness, because he’s certainly up there among the ATG’s (All-Time Greats).
I vividly remember the Jordan years, and thinking there was absolutely no doubt that MJ was indeed the GOAT. Six championship rings… the insane clutch shooting… the nonstop highlight reel plays… in my humble opinion there was nobody who could “touch that.” The Jordan vs. Kobe arguments were relatively easy for me, because no matter how great Kobe was, Michael always seemed better.
When LeBron first broke out, very young fans were quick to claim he was already better than Jordan. That’s one of the disadvantages of youth… it deprives you of the historical perspective to make such claims.
This morning I grabbed some LeBron stats off the ESPN coverage of this year’s Finals. Four NBA Championships with three different teams (Jordan had six with the Chicago Bulls)… four Finals MVP awards (Jordan had six)… four regular season MVP awards (Jordan had five). LeBron has already played more seasons than Jordan (17 to 15), and is still going strong at 35 years of age.
It all boils down to personal preferences. I like players who take weak teams with perennial losing records and take them to championships. Jordan did that with the Bulls… but then LeBron did that with the Cleveland Cavaliers. I also like the clutch shot. The question is: Who would you rather take the last shot with one second left in order to win? For me, it’s tough to beat MJ on that one.
Admittedly, the gap has become smaller than ever… and the unthinkable notion that someone could surpass “His Airness” as basketball GOAT has become something that must be seriously entertained.
But that is the wonderful thing about the topic of GOATs in sports. Nothing like sitting with a few buddies over beers or drinks and putting forth your case for your favorite choice.
That being said, I invite you to sound off on the subject. In your opinion, who is the basketball GOAT and why?
As a basketball junky that I consider myself I’m with the vast majority that say MJ is the GOAT. I saw Jordan’s entire career. I’ve seen Lebron entire career. I didn’t see much of Russell nor Wilt so I honestly can’t give an opinion on those 2. But to settle the MJ vs Lebron debate I’ll simplify it with this example. Many people say that Kobe Bryant is the closest to MJ. In Today’s NBA we saw a broken down Kobe Bryant score 60 points on his last game. 60!!! This man took a week off to play that last game because his body could not take it anymore. With that said, if Kobe is the closest to MJ…… imagine how many points MJ would drop in today’s NBA where teams are penalized for playing defense????? Where guys are allowed to travel 3-4 steps. MJ would destroy today’s league and rules would be changed as with Wilt. Lebron is good. An all time great. But can’t tie MJs shoelaces.
Those are some very good points, Martin. It’s obvious you are indeed a basketball “junkie.” Defenses absolutely must be taken into consideration, and it’s true that NBA basketball was more physical back in Jordan’s time. A case in point were the Detroit Pistons, the “Bad Boys” of the late ‘80s. You used Kobe Bryant’s 60 points in his last game as an example of today’s defenses, which is all well and good. But remember that Kobe was known for being a prolific scorer. Also, I’m not sure I agree with the assessment of Kobe being “the closest to MJ,” but again as I said before Kobe was an All-Time Great in his own right.
On LeBron though… remember that he took a Cleveland Cavaliers team that had lost 50 or more games each of the previous four seasons, and took them to the playoffs within two years, qualifying for the next five. Then, after coming back from the Miami Heat where he won two championships in four years, he picked the Cavs right back up and won the first championship for the city of Cleveland in any sport in over 50 years. While LeBron was in Miami, the Cavs went back to their losing ways, losing an average of 54 games per year. Night and day.
Also remember that the championship won by the Cavaliers in 2016 was against one of the best juggernauts ever assembled in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors. That cannot be discounted. So while it’s true that basketball itself has changed, the ability to make a bad team great cannot be minimized.
All that being said, I myself still consider Jordan to be the GOAT. But in my honest opinion, LeBron is making huge strides in that direction.
Thanks for your very insightful comments!