The discourse on whether or not LeBron James has passed Michael Jordan as the greatest player in NBA history reached an all-time high when the former won his 4th championship. Him bring the Lakers yet another title led many ‘Bron-stans’ to believe the day had finally arrived where he would be anointed as the ‘GOAT’.
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Of course, as things have played out since then, James’s case for being the greatest of all time is starting to dwindle. Disappointing seasons both in 2021 and 2022 for the purple and gold have only hurt James’s case, despite him averaging 30 points a game at age 37 last season.
Michael Jordan has never really given the ‘GOAT’ debate any more steam than it already has. He’s even stated openly that it should be about who the greatest team of all time is, not the greatest player, given that basketball is a team game.
Michael Jordan once believed LeBron James would eventually surpass him in 20 years time
Michael Jordan is perhaps one of the most confident athletes the sporting world has ever seen. Even while off the court, gambling millions of dollars away takes guts. So, when he sat down with Cigar Aficionado for a sequel interview in 2017, it was surprising to see him concede to LeBron James.
“If you ask 20 years from now, I’m pretty sure LeBron may beat me,” said MJ. This was in relation to him being named the number one most popular athlete in American history during a 2015 Harris Poll.
In Jordan’s eyes, it’s all about recency which brings about certain biases. With Muhammed Ali and Babe Ruth being the next 2 after him, it’s safe to say that despite having been retired, Jordan was the freshest in everybody’s mind. So, saying James would overtake him in popularity in 2 decades time isn’t all too surprising after all.
Will LeBron James be ‘The GOAT’ when he passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in points?
LeBron James is set to pass Kareem in total regular season points sometime in late February or March at the latest. This has brought about the question of whether or not yet another historic milestone would help in his case for being the greatest of all time.
What it all boils down to is what you value in a basketball player. If you’re looking for sustained greatness and longevity, then perhaps LeBron is your guy. If you’re looking for pure dominance over a certain era, Michael Jordan may be your ‘GOAT’ effectively, there is no wrong answer here because it all comes down to opinion.
