Michael Jordan has stayed away from calling himself the GOAT for most part of his association with the game.
Advertisement
While NBA fans from different generations concur that Michael is the greatest to have ever played the game, never have you heard it from the horse’s(GOAT’s) mouth.
The Internet lost its mind when LeBron claimed to be the GOAT, in an interview that was released on his 34th birthday.
He admitted that post the 2016 NBA finals, wherein the Cavaliers made a sweeping comeback from 3-1 down to clinch the finals 4-3; LeBron felt like he had overtaken Michael to become the greatest player of all time.
LeBron James says the 2016 NBA Finals victory cemented him as the GOAT pic.twitter.com/XKEq0mGyzV
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) December 31, 2018
Add this to the list of reasons I can’t stand Lebron. Can’t get much more annoying than calling yourself the GOAT over and over again in an interview. Meanwhile Jordan is the GOAT. https://t.co/66KUoGqsi5
— Bobby Kay (@BKayZone) December 31, 2018
LeBron was dealt with a lot of negative media attention post the interview as people labelled him arrogant. But more so because a 2009 Michael Jordan video had resurfaced.
In the 2009 interview, Michael Jordan was questioned about his ‘GOAT status’ and if he would ever refer to himself as the greatest basketball player of all time.
Jordan came up with the best answer possible, admitting that he could never take the tag of the GOAT, as that would be unfair to all the legends that played the game before him.
The media and NBA fans were impressed with how Jordan tackled the question, showing respect to his peers and the legends that played the game before him.
Michael Jordan explains why he doesn’t want to be called the GOAT pic.twitter.com/XJLOwOQcl1
— Athlete Swag (@AthleteSwag) January 3, 2019
Michael Jordan is the greatest athlete of all-time
He lost 366 games
Had 2,924 turnovers
Missed 12,345 shotsHe’s the GOAT because he never quit. Will you?
— cryptunez 💎 (@cryptunez) December 18, 2018
However, the ‘Twitter emoji’ challenge probably got to Jordan, as he changed his stance on the GOAT debate, and this time went ahead and referred to himself as the GOAT.
Twitter posted a question asking people to describe themselves using emojis.
You. In emojis.
— Twitter (@Twitter) January 17, 2019
Jordan then went ahead and tweeted the GOAT emoji in reply.
— Jordan (@Jumpman23) January 17, 2019
Now, the internet and NBA fans are a little confused, as they were hailing Jordan’s ‘humility’ a few weeks ago, when the GOAT debate had resurfaced post LeBron’s comments.
A lot of LeBron fans are now targeting Jordan and his fans post this little ‘twitter exercise’ from Jordan.
Now, Jordan has a 6-0 record in NBA finals and is known to rise to the occasion during clutch situations, and thus a lot of people refer to him as the GOAT. Now, for an athlete that is probably the greatest of all time, to come and say that out loud, this has to be the coolest way to do it.
Do you think LeBron can overtake Michale Jordan as the greatest player of all time?