HomeWatchThinkSpeak

NBA GOAT: LeBron, Jordan, Kareem, Wilt or somebody else?

Key Arguments

Michael Jordan is the greatest

  • Pro: Six championships and Finals MVPs
  • Pro: Record ten NBA scoring titles
  • Pro: Elite defensive honors alongside scoring
  • Con: Less longevity than leading rivals
  • Con: Championships shared with consistent support
  • Con: Lower career playmaking totals

LeBron James is the greatest

  • Pro: Unmatched career regular season scoring
  • Pro: Championship success across three franchises
  • Pro: High scoring and playmaking production
  • Con: More Finals losses than wins
  • Con: Fewer MVP awards than Kareem
  • Con: No Defensive Player award

Kareem Abdul Jabbar is the greatest

  • Pro: Record six regular season MVPs
  • Pro: Six championships across two franchises
  • Pro: Extensive scoring and defensive achievements
  • Con: Two Finals MVP awards
  • Con: Later titles shared with Magic
  • Con: Three consecutive missed playoff appearances

Wilt Chamberlain is the greatest

  • Pro: Record single game scoring performance
  • Pro: Unmatched single season scoring average
  • Pro: Record career rebounding total
  • Con: Two championships despite statistical dominance
  • Con: Poor career free throw accuracy
  • Con: High pace complicates statistical comparisons

Bill Russell is the greatest

  • Pro: Record eleven NBA championships
  • Pro: Five regular season MVP awards
  • Pro: Exceptional career rebounding production
  • Con: Lower scoring than other candidates
  • Con: Smaller league during championship seasons
  • Con: Incomplete official defensive statistical record

Community Opinions

Opinion by @akiva1

Michael Jordan is the GOAT for his statistical dominance and uniquely exciting, artistic play

Read Transcript

Who is the GOAT? Obviously Michael Jordan, for many reasons, but two main reasons: A, statistically, even today, after all of the amazing achievements that LeBron James and others have made, Jordan is still number one by far. Number two, and this I think is an underrated point, he's just more fun to watch. More static basketball, you know, it's just a work of art. I could watch 24 hours straight of Michael Jordan highlights on YouTube. Can't do that with any, any other player. It's just fun, just fun to watch, exciting to watch, and fun to root for. That is why he is not only the best ever; he is the greatest ever. Rest my case.

Opinion by @meir1

LeBron James as the NBA GOAT for 22 years of elite play, records, championships and player empowerment

Read Transcript

LeBron James is NBA GOAT. He has been playing at such a high level for decades while other players like Michael Jordan and Larry Bird have reached a peak and got and played at a high level for a decade, you know, 12 years, 15 years. LeBron James has been doing it for 22 years, playing at an unbelievable level, breaking records, winning championships. In addition, he's really changed the nature of the game with player empowerment, having players decide where they go, where they play, so he is a GOAT.

Opinion by @jacob1

Michael Jordan as the undisputed GOAT who could have averaged 45 points in today's league

Read Transcript

I think it's clear that Michael Jordan is the GOAT. There's no question about it. Every time I watched him play, I felt like I was watching something special. No one has even come close. If he would have played in the league today, he probably would have averaged double the. He didn't even score three-pointers when he was playing, and he could have done that. Today, everyone's using the three-point method. He would have probably had like a 45-point average throughout his career if he was playing now.

Opinion by @elya1

Michael Jordan may be the greatest athlete in history, thanks not only to his victories but also to the way he played.

Read Transcript

I think Michael Jordan is probably the greatest of all time, not only as a basketball player but also as an athlete, because even though he won so many awards and championships, LeBron and Kobe Bryant also won them, but what sets him apart as an athlete is how he won and how he played. He is considered not only the greatest basketball player but perhaps even the greatest athlete in history.

Cover image

NBA GOAT: LeBron, Jordan, Kareem, Wilt or somebody else?

DISCUSSION

5 human voices · Public · 3 days ago

HomeWatchThinkSpeak

Opinion by @bobr

Chamberlain’s NBA dominance and historic 100-point game, featuring 28 underhand free throws

Read Transcript

Mike Goad is Wils Chamberlain. He joined the NBA in 1959 when the league was just 13 years old. 7'1", 2.16 meters, he towered over the game. As a rookie, he averaged 38 points and 27 rebounds per game and won MVP. The NBA literally widened the lane later just to contain him. And then, March 2, 1962, Warriors vs. Knicks, Hershey, Pennsylvania, my two best friends were in that crowd of only 4,100. Wils played all 48 minutes, scored 23 points in the first quarter, 41 by halftime, 69 after three quarters. Fans started screaming, "Give it to Wils, give it to Wils!" With 46 seconds left in the game, he did it. He hit 100 points. And here's the kicker. He hit 28 of his 32 free throws underhand, granny style. One man, one night, 100 points. That's Mike Goad.