Who is the greatest basketball player of all time? This is one of the most debated questions in the sports world, and more specifically in the basketball community. A vast majority of the time, the conversation starts and ends with two people: Michael Jordan and Lebron James.
However when discussing the basketball GOAT (Greatest of All Time), too many greats are left out of the discussion. Why isn’t the player with the most championships, Bill Russell considered? He was the first to play and coach his team at the same time, and he won 11 championships! This means that Russell has more championship rings than he does fingers.
Then there’s Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr. and Larry Bird. They rejuvenated the whole sport of basketball. Magic’s showmanship, vision, and size allowed him to do things nobody had ever seen before, and Bird’s craftiness, clutch shooting, and grit was unlike any other. During the 1980’s, they met 3x in the finals and one of their teams was in the finals every single year for the entire decade. Bird’s Celtics won 3 championships and Magic’s Lakers won 5.
How could anyone forget about Kobe? His “Mamba Mentality” was special, and he was a, “cold blooded killer.” No one, with the possible exception of Michael Jordan, was a better game finisher. Kobe’s staunch belief in “Mamba Mentality” kept his mind and body in peak condition, and made him loathe losing and relish delivering the final crushing blow in any game, especially in the playoffs.
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copyright Steve lipofsky www.Basketballphoto.com, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
What about Lew Alcindor, better known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? He held the scoring record with over 38,000 career points for 39 years, and had the most unstoppable move of all time in the Skyhook.
Hakeem Olajuwon is one of the most underappreciated GOAT candidates ever. His “Dream Shake” was un-guardable. He received the ball in the post (close to the basket with his back to the basket), and would fake one way and go the other. Somehow, every time without fail, he made the defense go the wrong way. His footwork was the best of all time, his craftiness around the rim has never been duplicated by another 7-footer, and as a defender, nobody could get a shot off near him.
Tim Duncan, or the “Big Fundamental,” doesn’t get enough recognition either, being the main player of the Spurs dynasty that won five rings. He is widely regarded as the best Power Forward to ever play the game. He always made the right play, whether it was passing, shooting or driving to the hoop. He was also a great defender, often winning matchups with the other great Power Forwards of his era, such as Kevin Garnett and Chris Webber.
Widely regarded as the most dominant player of all time, Shaq was unstoppable around the rim. He played with such relentlessness that he made the NBA use stronger backboards after he broke too many by dunking with the most amount of force that a seven foot one inch, 325 pound person could. If you got in between him and the rim, The “Big Diesel” would pound you into the ground and dunk you through the hoop.
Out of these GOAT rejects, I personally believe Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain has the greatest argument. Not only did he famously score 100 points in a single game, but he was more than just a scorer. Besides averaging 50+ points in a season, he led the league in assists in the 1967-68 season, just to prove to everyone that he could, and he averaged more than 25 rebounds in a season. When he retired, he owned almost every major individual record.
Although these are all great candidates, Michael Jordan and Lebron James ultimately deserve the title as the greatest basketball players.
Michael Jordan was the savior of basketball in the 1990s. After he had 63 points in a game against Bird’s Celtics, Bird declared it was, “God disguised as Michael Jordan,” and he was even nicknamed “Black Jesus” by Allen Iverson, another great player. He rejuvenated the sport and rallied off of the new fans.
Jordan had a desire to win that was unparalleled. He was cut from his high school basketball team in 10th grade, and used that disappointment to light a fire within him. It motivated him to make sure something like that would never happen again. Whether it was basketball, playing cards, or even a discussion about the best breakfast foods, Jordan hated to lose. Even before MJ’s Bulls won a championship, he had the highest points per game for a season since Wilt.
But Jordan wasn’t just a scorer, he was also NBA All Defense First Team a record 9 times. He has a highlight reel full of exciting steals and blocks. However, Jordan’s Bulls kept getting beaten by the Detroit Pistons who feared Jordan’s game so much that they created the ‘Jordan Rules.’ They would force him to drive and then they would foul him very hard. It was a different style of play in the 80’s and 90’s and hard fouls were more common. After losing to the Pistons in the playoffs for 2 straight years MJ decided to change his game. He bulked up, hitting the gym and adding muscle to his lithe frame. But more importantly, he started trusting his teammates to make shots at big moments. Yes, his scoring went down, but his team finally advanced past the “Bad Boy Pistons,” because once those adjustments were made, there was no stopping Jordan’s Bulls. He was the best scorer in the league. No one player could stop him, so when other defenders came to help, he found the open man and trusted them to make the shot. Michael Jordan’s unrelenting desire to win, his willingness to change his mentality, being an all time scorer and defender speaks volumes.
Lebron James’ history making career is still breaking records. He has been the best player in the league for almost 20 years now, doing the unthinkable.
The argument for Lebron is very easy to make. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Lebron is that he lived up to the hype. He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine as a high school student with the title, ‘The Chosen One.” Lebron James has always been a winner. He won 3 straight state championships in high school. When he joined the Cavaliers, he instantly turned them into contenders.
Compared to Jordan, Lebron is, “bigger, stronger, faster, more athletic, a better playmaker, finisher, 3 point shooter, and interior defender,” while Jordan only has “free throws, mid range, and perimeter defense,” said Lucas Bello ’25. Lebron’s physical build and structure is superior to Jordan’s. Standing at a six foot nine inches and 250 pounds, Lebron is much larger than Jordan’s six foot six and 215 pound frame. Even at Lebron’s size, he is as fast as any guard in the league. Even now, at almost 39 years old, Lebron is often the first one racing down the court.
Lebron’s longevity is unmatched, as nobody has been at the top of the NBA for 21 years and counting. In his 20th season, he averaged almost 29 points, 7 assists, and 8 rebounds. The next best stat-line for a 38 year old is almost 25 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds by John Havlicek. Although Jordan is third with 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, Lebron’s stats are far superior, and if he keeps it up this season, he will blow everyone out of the water. To-date, the most points per game (ppg) currently held by a 39 year old is 22 by Jamal Crawford.
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Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons (Keith Allison)
Lebron has a long list of achievements, including being a 19x All Star, 19x all NBA, 4x MVP, 4x Finals MVP, 6x All Defensive Team, 4x NBA Champion, and the list goes on. He and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the 2016 Golden State Warriors known as the, “Avengers,” who won the most games in the regular season in NBA history with 73 wins.
Despite Lebron’s feats, the argument for Jordan is just as easy. He won 6 championships with the Bulls going on back to back 3 peats, and what separates him from Lebron is Jordan’s dedication to his sport, retiring and coming out of retirement on multiple occasions. Jordan led his team to the best regular season record of 72 wins at the time, which would end up being broken in 2016 by the Warriors. The difference between Jordan and Lebron’s teams, though, is that the Bulls won the championship with Jordan.
Jordan’s achievements are second to none. He’s a 14x all star, 10x scoring champ, 11x all NBA, 9x all defensive team, 5x MVP, 6x finals MVP, 3x steals champ, and 1x defensive player of the year.
A common misconception is that Jordan’s competition was nothing compared to Lebron’s. Jordan played against the “Bad Boy” Pistons, Showtime Lakers, the Bird-led Celtics, Olajuwon’s Rockets, Barkley’s Suns, the Ewing-led Knicks (who were actually good then, believe it or not), Stockton and Malone’s Jazz, and more, all while never letting any finals game get to a decisive Game 7.
I think Jordan’s legendary competitiveness separates him from Lebron, as well as every other GOAT contender. He was single-minded, he only cared about winning. Jordan wasn’t there to make friends; he valued his teammates only by whether they made his team better and by how much. In his documentary, “The Last Dance,” Jordan revealed he still holds a grudge against Scottie Pippin, his greatest teammate, for getting migraines during a playoff series.
There is no right answer, but I believe that Michael Jordan is the GOAT. When people think about the number 23, the first image that comes to mind is Michael Jordan. His win at all cost mindset and his ruthlessness combined with an unstoppable skillset on both sides of the court is what makes him the greatest basketball player of all time.
Who is the greatest basketball player of all time? This is one of the most debated question in the sports world, and more specifically in the basketball community. A vast majority of the time, the conversation starts and ends with two people: Michael Jordan and Lebron James.