“Michael Jordan Would’ve Taken No Years Off If he Knew of LeBron James”: Paul George Gives his Two Cents on the GOAT Debate

Not much has been going in the Los Angeles Lakers’ favour. Yet again, owing to injuries, they are sitting 10^th in the West with an awful record. However, the Lakers’ only positive takeaway from this season has been LeBron James clinching the NBA’s all-time scoring record.

With Bron surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the league’s #1 scorer, the King’s resume looks better than ever before.

There are some fans who believe that, now, with the scoring record to his name, LBJ has the edge over Michael Jordan for the infamous GOAT debate.

While many believe so, there are several others who still aren’t ready to deem the 19-time All-Star as the outright selection for the GOAT argument. Paul George is merely one of them.

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“Michael Jordan wasn’t asked to do what LeBron James is asked to do”: Paul George

In the first episode of his podcast, the Los Angeles Clippers superstar spoke about the GOAT debate.

A huge fan of both players, PG13 wasn’t ready to put one legend over the other. Instead, the forward merely stated that Mike wouldn’t have taken any years off had he known there was a “specimen” named LeBron coming into the league.

“I don’t like this discussion because obviously if MJ was playing, and MJ so competitive, like ‘I’m gonna go as long as Bron goes,’” George said. “… If MJ knew that there was this LeBron specimen coming, he definitely would have been like, ‘All right, I ain’t taking no years off. We’re gonna keep elevating this.’”

Further, George gave yet another diplomatic answer while comparing the two. Calling James the “GOAT of this generation”, the 8-time All-Star said:

“It’s hard to give that debate on the GOAT and I hate that people compare the two. Yeah, [LeBron’s] the GOAT of this generation. You gotta give him that with what he’s doing and what he’s done. But all time I don’t ever want to just say one is over the other because, to be honest, MJ wasn’t asked to do what LeBron is asked to do — different game, different styles, different positions. LeBron’s not asked to do what Jordan does.”

Comparing the two legend’s resumes

Goes without saying, Bron and Mike are two of the game’s greatest ever.

While the two icons had different playing styles, we could compare their careers by judging their resumes.

Over the span of 19 years, taking time off the game for 4 years, His Airness collected all the accolades possible. Apart from winning 6 titles, 6 Finals MVPs, 5 MVPs, and 10 scoring titles, Air Jordan was a 14-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA player, and a 9-time All-Defensive member.

Meanwhile, the 6-foot-9 forward has won 4 titles, 4 Finals MVPs, 4 MVPs, and 1 scoring title. Apart from being the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, the future HOFer is also a 19-time All-Star, 18-time All-NBA player, and 6-time All-Defensive member.

Also Read: Michael Jordan Cheating On His Wife With Kylie Ireland Led To Him Losing To The Nuggets