In almost every sport, there is a definite GOAT, or “Greatest of All Time.” Tom Brady is the goat of football, Babe Ruth is the goat of baseball and Wayne Gretzky is the goat of ice hockey. In one other major American sport, though, brews a passionate debate on who is the greatest player of all time. That sport is basketball.
The conversation for GOAT of basketball is dominated by two names: Michael Jordan, longtime guard for the Chicago Bulls, who mostly played in the 1980s and 90s, and Lebron James, a current Los Angeles Lakers forward and former member of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat whose career has spanned from the early 2000s to the present. Both players have been the best the basketball world has ever seen, but I believe that Jordan stands a step above James.
In other sports, the player deemed the GOAT is the one with the best stats or even the most championship wins, but in basketball, Jordan stands at the top for other reasons along with his stats and championship wins.
First, sports fans must look at the time period of basketball relative to the player. I believe that Jordan played at a time when defense was a lot more prevalent than it is today. Some of the notable defensive players in the league that Jordan would face were Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson and Gary Payton, to name a few. Jordan was no stranger to being a prime defensive player as well; he even won defensive player of the year once. That is why, between Jordan and James, I believe that Jordan was the better defensive player.
Second, I believe that Jordan was also the better player when it came to the playoffs. While James might have a higher rebound and assist average than Jordan, Jordan has a higher career playoff point average. Jordan is also undefeated in the finals at 6-0, while James’ finals record is 4-10.
Now, let’s address one of the biggest arguments for why Jordan isn’t as good as James: Jordan had hall-of-fame team members. Well, I’d like to point out a couple of James’ teammates over the years as well. Some notable players that James has played with include Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and even Ray Allen. Most of these players were top players in the league at the time they were playing with James. The only two players that usually come to mind that played with Jordan were Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman.
Although the basketball GOAT debate covers more facets than one article can discuss, I hope the points I’ve made move you to research and develop an idea of who you believe is the true GOAT of basketball. I’d love to hear your opinion and why.
Editor’s Note: Have strong opinions about who really is the GOAT of basketball? To submit a “Letter to the Editor” or engage in the conversation with me, email jacobn@southern.edu.
(I want all the readers to know that my LepookieBear James will continue to be my glorious king in my heart.)
