LeBron James’ heroics in the Paris Olympics showcased that the Lakers superstar is still among the best players on the planet. Despite being the senior-most member of the star-studded roster, the 39-year-old led Team USA’s successful quest for gold. Terrence Ross was thoroughly impressed with the forward’s performance and claimed he’s perplexed that the four-time MVP isn’t unanimously considered the GOAT.
Advertisement
During a live stream on Twitch, the former Suns star was asked who deserved the Olympic MVP award between James and Stephen Curry. Ross lauded the Warriors superstar’s incredible performances in the semifinal and final. However, he still picked the Lakers superstar. Explaining why, Ross said,
“LeBron [James] was the best player in the entire Olympics, bro. [Stephen] Curry did his thing in the last two games, he absolutely shot the piss out of the ball, like he’s known to do. LeBron literally put the team on his back and led them all the way there [the gold]. I mean, without LeBron, Curry might not even get those shots off.”
The 33-year-old then claimed that James was the greatest player ever. He argued that his longevity should be enough to put him above Michael Jordan. Ross said,
“LeBron is literally, to me now, he’s the GOAT. I don’t know how you can put [Michael] Jordan over him. If Jordan would have done what he was doing for 20 years, ‘I’m like yeah. Like, LeBron has a long way to go’.”
He admitted that Jordan leading the Bulls to two three-peats was an incredible achievement. However, he argued that the Hall of Famer never faced competition as stiff as James has during his illustrious career.
Terence Ross on why LeBron deserved Olympics MVP and why he’s the GOAT over MJ 🔥 pic.twitter.com/S11u02ewFl
— 🎭 (@MaskedInLA) September 10, 2024
Ross’ opinion aligns with those in James’ camp in the GOAT debate. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer is set to become only the second player after Vince Carter in NBA history to log 22 seasons. However, unlike the Raptors icon, who was relegated to a bench role for the final eight years of his career, the four-time champion has been playing at an All-NBA level and carrying his teams on his back.
As is the norm, the former Suns star’s take will be met with resistance by those in Jordan’s corner. It’s a debate without any concrete conclusion, but has been raging on for years and will likely continue to for the foreseeable future.
