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“Truly, who is the GOAT?!”: When Michael Jordan performed a bait-and-switch for an NFL advertisement promoting Tom Brady vs Aaron Rodgers

Akash Murty
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Watching Michael Jordan amidst an NFL game talking about GOATs had NFL fans and even LeBron James wondering.

Around October 2018, in the middle of a great Sunday Night Football matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings, Michael Jordan surprised NFL fans with a random commercial.

It went more interesting when he started talking about the GOAT debate. LeBron James or MJ? As the commercial went on, and MJ was saying things like “it’s a tough call” and “who has the titles, the raw talent, the most clutch moments,” and “even the jersey numbers are the same,” he was clearly referring to him and LeBron.

Also read: “LeBron James’ Lakers have not won against a .500 team in a whole month!”: StatMuse uncovers embarassing stat about the King and his team after blowout loss vs Nuggets

But in a twist that would make even a casual NBA fan smile, Jordan turns the debate to Tom Brady vs. Aaron Rodgers. MJ didn’t want No. 23 vs. No. 23 for obvious reasons.

He and James have a 22-year age gap, making him 55 at the time of that commercial. While LBJ was still at the peak of his athletic and basketball abilities at 33 years of age. Even the King sent out a hilarious tweet after watching the commercial and getting confused.

Michael Jordan teasing the GOAT debate between Tom Brady & Aaron Rodgers

Basketball’s most likely GOAT wanted No. 12 Tom Brady vs. No. 12 Aaron Rodgers. But the advertisement surely made it look like something else, even confusing Bron himself. Here’s the clip of the NBC commercial if you haven’t watched it already.

Though it was still outstanding at the time that 34-year-old Rodgers and 40 something Brady were the top contenders for the GOAT debate, it’s incredible that both of them are still going strong. Using PFF WAR, Brady is by far the most valuable player in the NFL this season.

He has accounted for 4.70 wins above a replacement player, by far the highest mark in the NFL. Brady is followed by Joe Burrow at 4.05 with Rodgers coming in at No. 6 in WAR at 3.11. Due to the importance of the quarterback position, they will always be among the league leaders for the MVP award.

And the 44-year-old is up for his fourth MVP award this season, which will take him one above Aaron. Tom has the record for most Super Bowls win (7) and most Super Bowl MVPs (5) as well, keeping him well above Aaron, who has won just one Super Bowl and Super Bowl MVP.

Also read: “Seems to me Tom Brady is only being a good sport when he wins”: Shannon Sharpe rips apart Bucs QB’s justification for snubbing Nick Foles on a handshake after Super Bowl 52 loss

Even in head-to-head matches, Rodgers got past Brady just once. While the former New England Patriots QB has won 3 over the Packers QB. That should be enough to settle the GOAT debate, according to MJ.

About the author

Akash Murty

Akash Murty

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An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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