While no topic this divisive will ever generate a consensus, the player most commonly considered the greatest in NBA history is Michael Jordan. That’s what six championships, five MVP awards and 10 scoring titles will do for a player. LeBron James has a large faction of supporters. Those who prize rings above all else lean Bill Russell. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sneaks into conversations held by fans of a certain age. But if you polled 100 people, the majority of them would call Michael Jordan the greatest of all time.
But one person who wouldn’t pick Jordan? Well… that would be Jordan, though not because he favors another player. Instead, when Gayle King asked him on CBS Sunday Morning if there is room for more than one GOAT in basketball, Jordan dismissed the entire concept.
“There’s no such thing as a GOAT in basketball, to me” Jordan said. “It’s only because I think we learn from other athletes, we progress the game. To say that one is better than the other is not really right.”
Every great player builds on previous generations. When Jordan entered the league, he was chasing Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Kobe Bryant and LeBron James would later follow in his footsteps, with Bryant forming a close friendship with Jordan while James donned his No. 23 jersey. Every era is different. Every great player performs under different context. Depending on your criteria, there could indeed be several viable GOATs, which supports the notion that one player really can’t stand above them all in any sort of consensus fashion.
Still, Jordan’s position here is interesting on a few levels. He was known as the most competitive player of his and perhaps any era, and he backed that up while looking back on his career in ESPN’s “The Last Dance” documentary. When he was playing, it would have been hard to imagine him dismissing any measure of his own greatness. Meanwhile, Jordan’s primary GOAT competition, LeBron James, has been far more open about campaigning for the title. In his mind, he already holds it. In the past, James argued that his 3-1 Finals comeback over the Golden State Warriors in 2016 made him “the greatest player of all time.”
The debate will never truly be settled, and new players will enter the fray. Victor Wembanyama is already flashing greatest-of-all-time potential, and someone will inevitably follow him. Comparison is inevitable. Jordan just doesn’t buy it. He was the best player of his day, and that seems to be enough.
