There’s no questioning that Michael Jordan is one of, if not the greatest, player of all time. He’s a six-time NBA champion who has historically achieved a couple of three-peat wins in the NBA Finals. Jordan also has an undefeated record in the Finals, which solidifies his status as one of the greats.
Often seen as the GOAT by many NBA fans, Jordan recently expressed his thoughts on the controversial GOAT debate.
Michael Jordan Shuts Down GOAT Debate
It’s only natural that sports fans would have their preferred undisputed GOAT. For many, Jordan is at the top of the list in league history. However, there are those who would argue that either the late Kobe Bryant or LeBron James should be higher on the list compared to Jordan.
While the GOAT debate at this point seems like a never-ending argument, Jordan recently went on record to shut down the debate. During a recent segment of NBC’s “MJ: Insights to Excellence,” Jordan explained why the GOAT debate shouldn’t exist.
“The GOAT term is something I’ll never get high or low about. It just doesn’t exist for me,” Jorddan said. “We paved the way for Kobe and LeBron. The beauty of the game of basketball is that players have evolved the game further.”
“But don’t then use that against the players who taught you the game or that you learned from,” Jordan continued. “I would have loved to play against LeBron and Kobe in my prime, but we’ll never be able to know that. … I think it creates animosity. I have no animosity against today’s players, but you do have certain players who do have animosity due to the forgetfulness of their contributions to the game of basketball.”
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“I think LeBron has had an unbelievable career. I admire him for what he’s done. As well as Kobe, KD, all these guys. I think they’ve elevated the game of basketball tremendously,” Jordan concluded.
Michael Jordan discusses Olympic basketball and the Goat debate in the latest installment of MJ: Insights to Excellence. pic.twitter.com/LAO5Dbq8hU
— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) March 8, 2026
In today’s era, LeBron is arguably the greatest basketball player, with others like Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry as close seconds, if not on par with the King.
Echoing Jordan’s point, once James, Durant, and Curry retire, there’ll be players such as Luka Dončić, Nikola Jokić, and Giannis Antetokounmpo that will probably take the mantle of the NBA’s latest GOAT.
