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A debate that has dominated the NBA News for years has been who the true GOAT is between Michael Jordan and LeBron James amongst others. While former center Bill Russell has more rings than both players combined, the debate has predominantly revolved around Jordan and James, especially since we have a modern-era bias to work from.
In the most recent NBA News, someone who is never far away from the spotlight, LaVar Ball, revealed who he regards as the true GOAT of the NBA.
NBA News: Lavar Ball discusses who he believes is the NBA's GOAT
Away from the current turbulence of the NBA offseason, the latest NBA News to crop up has seen LaVar Ball weigh in on who he thinks should be regarded as Basketball's Greatest Of All Time. On Shannon Sharpe's podcast, 'Club Shay Shay', LaVar revealed that he believes Michael Jordan should be seen as the NBA's greatest ever player.
When discussing how he sees the debate, LaVar Ball outlined what it means to be the GOAT:
"The greatest of all time, how do you measure that? You measure that by your victories and what you did in those victories. I ain't talking about you got 12 rings and you've been on 5 different teams. I'm talking about a dude who went to the finals who was the main guy six times in a row."
The debate is exciting to discuss due to how close the two compare when you look at their career statistics. Furthermore, LeBron is now in a team that he could help take to multiple more championships and in return get him level with Michael Jordan.
Jordan averaged greater shooting numbers over his career and didn't lose in any NBA Finals series he played in whereas LeBron has been a greater distributor of the ball and has higher rebounding figures.
Jordan was able to play alongside Scottie Pippen for his six rings, a player included in the NBA's top 50 players of all time, and Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman for three of those championships. LeBron James, while having key second men alongside him such as Dwyane Wade, Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, has played with weaker rosters. When Jordan left the Bulls to play baseball, the side made it to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. The Cleveland Cavaliers had a record of 19-63 after LeBron departed.
As enthralling as the debate is, there may never be a definitive answer to the question. If LeBron were to win another three chips in his numbered years left in the league then perhaps he could rightfully take the crown as the GOAT. However, for now, we can sit back and enjoy the back and forth.
Guess the Lakers players!
