The GOAT debate in the NBA is something that will likely never be settled, as Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan has led the way ever since he retired. Still, things have become interesting over the past couple of decades, with iconic players like Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and future Hall of Famer LeBron James making a case for the distinction.
There are also other legends, such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who have a case, but with James still playing for the Lakers, it seems like a two-man race between the soon-to-be 41-year-old and Jordan.
Jeff Teague Stirs Pot on GOAT Debate Involving LeBron James
Even though it is a debate that will likely have an answer written ink, the conversation comes up on seemingly a weekly basis, as it did on the Club 520 podcast hosted by former NBA player Jeff Teague.
Jeff Teague says that during Michael Jordan’s era, there was never a debate about who the best player in the world was, while LeBron James had people debating Kevin Durant or Kobe Bryant over him.
(Via @club520podcast h/t @NBA__Courtside )
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“I’m just saying, how much greater Mike [Jordan] was to everybody else to LeBron [James],” Teague said. “LeBron is the greatest, right? But we be like, ‘KD.’ It was a talk like, ‘I might take KD.’ I don’t know, Kobe [Bryant]. It’s Kobe Bryant. Who you got?
“It was never like Mike … Bob Knight said, ‘You got the No. 1 pick.’ Dude said, ‘I need a center.’ Bob Knight said, ‘Start Mike at center.’ He hated everybody.”
It’s unclear exactly what point Teague is trying to make, as he seems to claim that Jordan and James are the “greatest” player, so it’s a little confusing.
However, it does seem like he’s leaning toward Jordan when he talks about the former Bulls superstar having no competition for the distinction as the greatest while he was playing in Chicago, going on to win six NBA titles across two three-peats.
Teague mentioned James having competition for being the best player in the league during his prime, with fellow superstars Bryant and Kevin Durant being in the conversation for the best player in the league.
Either way, this is another take on the GOAT debate that has no conclusion, and it likely won’t. Additionally, this conversation is ever-evolving, with players like Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and possibly Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs potentially making things interesting in the years to come when James calls it a career.
Gilgeous-Alexander has a squad that could go on to win multiple NBA titles while building a dynasty, while individually, Jokić is setting milestones on a weekly basis, and Wembanyama has no ceiling to what he might be capable of if he can stay healthy for the long haul as the face of the Spurs franchise.
