Joe Johnson Responds to Dwyane Wade’s Take on the GOAT Debate

Dwayne Wade made a bold claim on who the NBA GOAT is in a recent episode of his podcast, which has left the community divided. Leaving his long-time teammate LeBron James aside, he declared Michael Jordan the undisputed best. But there was a caveat to the way he distinguished his greatness from that of James.

Jordan was the greatest he had ever watched. James was the greatest he had ever seen. It may sound bizarre, but Wade explained how it basically meant that MJ was someone mystical he had only seen on television growing up. He was Wade’s hero, which doesn’t come as a surprise considering how he’s a Chicago kid. James, on the other hand, was someone he shared a locker room with at the Miami Heat.

Joe Johnson, on the Nightcap podcast, admitted to understanding what Wade meant, even though many in the basketball community (mainly LeBron fans, presumably) criticized him. He felt what Wade tried to say when he described Jordan as his personal GOAT. But does that mean he considers the Bulls icon to be better than James?

“Growing up in the ’90s, I wanted to be like Jordan. That’s probably who D-Wade grew up watching as well,” Johnson continued. “But he also played with LeBron James, who obviously, right now every time he scores a bucket, it goes down in history… he’s gonna be the GOAT when it comes to all these records.” 

Johnson was not clear about who was better, which is understandable. But he did agree with what Wade said about Jordan being the best he has ever watched and James being the best he has ever seen. The bottom line, he hinted, was that players of his era grew up idolizing Jordan, but those who played with him felt that greatness up close.

It may not make sense to everyone, but to Wade and to Johnson, who shared the court with James at the 2006 FIBA World Cup, it makes perfect sense.

“I understand what he [Wade] is saying,” Johnson added. “I played with LeBron in ’06… He was a hell of a player, I mean, he has no weaknesses.” 

Sadly, it was a disappointing end to the tournament for Johnson and team U.S.A. as they finished third in a tournament they were expected to win. In the semis, they lost to Greece and defeated Argentina in the semi-finals to grab bronze. Still, the color of the medal felt like a slap in their faces.

For Johnson, however, it was an experience that allowed him to experience what it was like playing with one of the GOATs of basketball. Without that, he would not have understood what Wade meant.