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Michael Jordan and LeBron James are always mentioned in the never-ending debate about the greatest player of all time. However, ESPN analyst Bobby Marks has made things a bit interesting by putting Steph Curry behind Jordan and ahead of James in that conversation.
On "This Just In" on ESPN, Marks called Golden State Warriors superstar Curry the second-greatest player of all time. He explained that Curry has the same instincts as Jordan. Marks added that the two players are offensive threats who can beat teams in a lot of ways.
"I'm going to stun you with this take here," Marks said. "I actually think Steph Curry is the second-best player of all time, right behind Michael Jordan. Curry has this instinct, what I saw with Jordan, where any time he has the ball, you think it's going to go in. He is a threat offensively. I think we've got three or four more years of Curry in his prime right now."
He continued:
"I would put Curry ahead of LeBron James right now. ... I saw Jordan in his prime in the '90s. Curry reminds me a lot of that offensively, where he is a threat to beat you in a lot of different ways."
The GOAT discussion is certainly open to interpretation, but let's take a look at the credentials of Curry, James and Jordan.
Curry is a four-time champion, two-time MVP, one-time Finals MVP, eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA and a two-time scoring champion. He's also the greatest shooter of all time. With the way the Warriors are built, it's not impossible for Curry to add more accomplishments to his resume.
Meanwhile, "The King" James is a four-time champion, four-time MVP, four-time Finals MVP, 18-time All-Star, 18-time All-NBA, one-time scoring champ and one-time scoring champion. James is also expected to become the league's all-time leading scorer next season.
As for "His Airness" Jordan, he might have the best credentials out of the three. Jordan's a six-time champion, five-time MVP, six-time Finals MVP, 14-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, 10-time scoring champion and one-time Defensive Player of the Year.
Ray Allen explains why LeBron James is not GOAT
LeBron James and Ray Allen were teammates with the Miami Heat from 2012 to 2014. They went to two NBA Finals together, with Allen helping James win in 2013 with his game-tying 3-point shot in Game 6. Allen last played an NBA game in 2014 before retiring two years later.
The two-time champ was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018. Having played with James and against Jordan, Allen has the right knowledge and perspective to say who the GOAT is.
"Is he a great free throw shooter?" Allen said. "Is he a great three-point shooter? Is he a great dribbler? So you're saying he's the GOAT, but he ain’t even the greatest in all them categories. You know who it is? MJ."
You can watch the video below where Allen explains to a fan why James is not the GOAT.
