As great as LeBron James is, the majority of basketball fans and experts view Michael Jordan as the greatest player of all-time. However, Michael Porter Jr. has brought another face into the discussion, which may come as a surprise.
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If you turn on any traditional sports media network, there’s a good chance there is some sort of discussion about the GOAT. Although it can become redundant, it can lead to great content as everyone has a different opinion. For example, Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller went viral during his pre-draft process for proclaiming Paul George as his personal GOAT.
Of course, George isn’t truly among the greatest players ever. Nonetheless, there isn’t a check list that someone has to follow to declare to be among the best of all-time.
Some players simply have the skill set and resume to support their cause for the esteemed title. Aside from Jordan and LeBron, people often point to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as someone worthy of being on the radar. MPJ, on the other hand, didn’t choose any of those three. Instead, he looked upon another current-day star as the one he believes is the best.
“I’m going to say Nikola Jokic is the best player I’ve ever seen,” Porter Jr. said on The Emily Austin Show. “From what I’ve seen day to day, I haven’t seen anybody as dominant as Nikola.”
Michael Porter Jr says Nikola Jokic is the greatest of all time:
“People will say Michael Jordan just to agree but they haven’t watched the film. They’ll just say it to agree with everyone else. For me, with my two eyes from what I’ve seen, I’m going to say Nikola Jokic is the… pic.twitter.com/9AzE3Cjc9R
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) March 8, 2026
Porter’s answer seemingly came straight from left field. Nikola Jokic is undoubtedly one of the greatest players of the modern era, but he still has plenty of time left in his career. Even Jordan didn’t receive such glorification until he began nearing the end of his playing days. However, Porter has witnessed Jokic through a different lens than most people.
The Brooklyn Nets star spent the first six years of his career playing alongside Jokic on the Denver Nuggets. He witnessed first-hand how dominant the Serbian big man truly is. No other player that he has ever faced has come close to Jokic’s greatness.
MPJ might have a reputation for saying some outlandish things, but he prides himself on speaking in line with his beliefs and experience. He is not against talking about Jordan as the best, which many people do. The only issue he has never having the luxury of watching Jordan at his peak in real-time.
“People will say Michael Jordan just to agree, but they haven’t watched the film. They’ll just say it to agree with everyone else,” Porter added.
The 6″10′ forward refuses to be moved by the mob. The best player he has seen LIVE is Jokic, so that’s who he believes is the GOAT. Jokic is surely high on that list as it stands right now, but could make Porter look like a genius if he adds a few more pieces of hardware by the time it’s all said and done.
