Who is the best defender in the NBA? Who is the most overrated player in the league? Is Michael Jordan or LeBron James the GOAT? These are all questions that the basketball world needs answers for.
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Over the years, many fans have given their thoughts and pondered the possible answers to these questions. And, every time the answer keeps changing. The problem is the general masses aren’t equipped to answer these questions. They either lack the knowledge or the patience to come to a conclusion.
Well, the Athletic has taken a step to get past these issues. The sports website recently shared the results of an NBA player vote to answer the aforementioned questions. And the results? Well, they’re quite interesting.
NBA players vote on who is the most overrated player in the NBA, best defender, greatest player of all time and the worst referee
(Via https://t.co/UNd6069pri) pic.twitter.com/7ntG0Vqh5a
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) April 18, 2023
NBA Twitter goes wild as players vote for Michael Jordan as the GOAT ahead of LeBron James
Perhaps the most important result revolves around the GOAT debate. The Athletic asked the players to make their pick and to nobody’s surprise, both Michael Jordan and LeBron James made the Top-5.
Closely behind them were Bill Russell, Tracy McGrady, and Kobe Bryant. But, it was always going to be between The King and His Airness for the top two spots. And, with a whopping 58.3% of the votes, Jordan took first place edging out LeBron who had 33%.
Of course, NBA Twitter had something to say, with the MJ stands and King James stans taking aim at each other. But, there was also some genuine surprise over T-Mac’s inclusion.
TMac? pic.twitter.com/pyESplk7gw
— Mike 🔴🐐⚪️ (@BigBrawl18) April 18, 2023
— Propa~G🦌🔥💪🏾 (@Kevin68581604) April 18, 2023
LeBron 33% we moving up pic.twitter.com/V5HUha3uXc
— Nova 👾 (@Ventasion2) April 18, 2023
From the reactions, it’s quite obvious that the GOAT debate is far from over, at least among the fans. But, the hot takes didn’t end there, because the votes for the most overrated player were quite concerning.
Trae Young is second on the list of most overrated players in the league
Another question The Athletic answered with the help of the player vote was who is the most overrated player in the NBA. Well, the results were shocking, to say the least. For starters, top stars like Jimmy Butler, Pascal Siakam, and Julius Randle made the list. But, by far the most surprising name was Trae Young, who finished second on the list with 14.8% of the votes.
NBA players when asked about Trae Young 😭 pic.twitter.com/0mzAuDKWAC
— vanity (@VZNlTY) April 18, 2023
Trae young pic.twitter.com/yxD6jF5ESz
— Confused Houston Fan 🙃😕😐 (@Snyphe) April 18, 2023
trae young next season pic.twitter.com/LFu6TufvHJ
— Josh (@lLOVEDAME) April 18, 2023
The results gave a lot of insight as to what the modern NBA player thinks. It’s a shame we don’t know who voted. It would have made for some hilarious Twitter drama.