Jack Mendelsohn | The Chronicle
The sports Greatest of All Time (GOAT) conversation may be the most heated debate in sports. Whether it is football, basketball, swimming or rugby, every sport has multiple players with strong cases to be considered the GOAT in their respective sport. But what actually makes someone the greatest? Is it the amount of championship wins? Longevity? Or even the effect the player has on the sport?
No matter how you judge an athlete’s success, there are many different factors that impact the conversation. Because of all these different perspectives, the debate rarely has a clear-cut answer, which leads to passionate arguments among fans.
The most debatable of them all begins with basketball, specifically the discourse between LeBron James and Michael Jordan. To many National Basketball Association (NBA) fans, Michael Jordan was always represented as being the greatest player of all time, but as of recently, LeBron James has crept into the conversation. On February 8, 2023, James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s long-held scoring record with his 38,388th point. Today, he is the oldest player in the NBA, at 41 years of age, with a total of 43,090 points. As he is from Akron, Ohio, many students at Mason High School favor LeBron James from his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, including MHS senior Owen Hurrle.
“I think that most people would have considered Jordan to be the best up until the last couple of years,” Hurrle said. “When LeBron broke the scoring record that solidified it for me, he stands alone as the greatest scorer of all time.”
When it comes to the Jordan vs. LeBron debate, many argue that you can not compete with Jordan’s perfect 6-0 championship record. However, many LeBron fans argue that Jordan had stronger support with Hall of Famers Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and head coach Phil Jackson. Junior Ava Engen argues that this is a key factor that separates the two.
“LeBron’s ability to win the 2016 finals playing against maybe the greatest teams ever,the 2016 Golden State Warriors, proves he’s the greatest player of all time,” Engen said. “Along with that, LeBron has been able to compete at the highest level years longer than Jordan was ever able to.”
A strong argument for Jordan is the comparison of the rest of the NBA during their separate eras. In the 1980s, when Jordan played, many believed basketball was much more physical and demanding than it is today. That is what senior Alex Mickelson believes separates the two the most.
“In the 80’s and 90’s, the game was completely different from what it is today,” Mickelson said. “Every player wasn’t constantly flopping and trying to draw weak fouls. LeBron never had to experience the NBA when it was physical and players played hard defense.
Jordan’s cultural impact on basketball is a significant reason he is considered the greatest player of all time. Not only did Jordan help spread the NBA worldwide, but even his shoe brand has also developed into one of the most popular shoe brands too this day.
“Jordan grew the sport like no player in any league has ever done before,” Mickelson said. “When Jordan was in his prime, basketball was the most popular sport in the United States; now the NBA’s viewers have dropped [in number] quite significantly.”
Ultimately, the GOAT debate may never have a definitive answer. Instead, it reflects on how different generations of fans define greatness. As long as basketball exists, the conversation about LeBron James and Michael Jordan will continue to be a heavily outspoken debate.
“I think the majority of NBA fans appreciate them both for what they’ve done for basketball,” Mickelson said. “It is definitely those two who stand alone as the greatest players to ever touch a basketball.
