G.O.A.T. Debate

By M. Goncalves

Michael Jordan or LeBron James, who is the G.O.A.T?
​
The greatest of all time, a topic of discussion that virtually every NBA fan has argued over. Whilst there are several candidates that could be crowned the G.O.A.T (greatest of all time), the race usually narrows down to Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Though both players played in two completely different eras, at the end of the day one must be awarded the title of greatest of all time, the following paragraphs will evaluate the main arguments fans use to determine who is the G.O.A.T.
 
Playing 15 years in the NBA, in the 80s, 90s and 2000s, Michael Jordan is one of, if not the most influential athletes of all time. “MJ” dominated the league for many years, mastering every skill imaginable, and leaving his imprint in the game of basketball forever. Over his career, “Air Jordan” was awarded 5 MVPs (most valuable player) trophies, 1 defensive player of the year award, and went 6-0 in the finals in two three-peat runs with the Chicago Bulls. In his playing time, Jordan played over 1000 games and scored over 32,000 points. When it came to scoring clutch shots at the end of games, “His Airness” was the go-to guy, hitting multiple big shots in the biggest of stages in both the playoffs and the finals. Overall, Jordan was a 6-time champion, who gathered 14 all-star selections and 11 all-NBA selections and solidified himself as one of the greatest to ever play basketball.
 
Drafted in 2003 and still playing, LeBron is widely known as Jordan’s biggest competitor for claiming the G.O.A.T. title. During his playing time, “King James” gathered 4 MVPs, and won 4 championships. However, to truly see his biggest accomplishment, his finals victory in 2016 must be investigated with more depth. In that year, James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 3-1 finals comeback against the Golden State Warriors, something which had never occurred in the history of the league. At this point, James has played over 1,300 games and scored over 35,000 points. LeBron still has many more years left of playing and has shown no sign of slowing down, which means if he hasn’t still caught up to Jordan, he has a few more years to close that margin.
 
James and Jordan perfected every aspect of the game and accomplished a great deal throughout their careers. The major statistics have been shown, now it’s your turn, who do you think is the G.O.A.T? Jordan or LeBron?