The GOAT debate has become a routine part of basketball discourse over the past few years, especially as Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has cemented himself in that conversation alongside other all-timers like Michael Jordan and Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. At the present moment, the argument generally is a two-horse race between Jordan and James with some fans supporting Bryant.
The debate frequently permeates beyond basketball and finds its way to other sports, like football. The basketball GOAT is a common question that the Kansas City Chiefs — the reigning two-time Super Bowl Champions — tried to answer following a training camp practice.
Among the players polled in an Instagram video, James was the runaway winner with 17 of the 32 votes given out.
In total, James received 17 votes, Jordan received seven, Bryant received five and three stray votes were given to Larry Bird, Carmelo Anthony and Minnesota Timberwolves young star Anthony Edwards. While the latter three don’t carry much weight, it’s telling that James won so convincingly.
The debate between James and Jordan has started to come down to generations. Younger people — typically those who grew up watching James and missed the bulk of Jordan’s career — will lean towards the Lakers star. Those old enough to see Jordan’s prime say that the Chicago Bulls legend is the GOAT.
While most statistics and figures favor James as the greatest player of all time, there is an aura surrounding Jordan that very few athletes in history have been able to replicate. And while it can add some frustration to this type of debate, it means there is never a shortage of intrigue and fans of both sides.
Bryant also continues to get a healthy number of votes when polls like this come around. For many younger people, Bryant was their version of Jordan. And to some, he was an improvement on the original.
The GOAT debate is not going anywhere, but James appears to be gaining ground as time passes on.
LeBron James shares advice from Carmelo Anthony
At some point in the 2024 Olympics, Team USA would face an extremely tough challenge that they would have to overcome if they wanted to leave Paris with a Gold medal. That time finally come in their semifinal against Serbia, but thankfully LeBron James and Stephen Curry were up to the challenge.
Prior to the game, LeBron spoke to one of his closest friends and one of the best players in Team USA history in Carmelo Anthony, who told him they would have to get it done the hard way. And James took to social media to tell him they did exactly that.
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