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NBA analyst Nick Wright recently released a controversial list of the Top 50 greatest basketball players of all time.
Wright placed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at No. 1, followed by LeBron James and Michael Jordan. He has several times defended his choice of placing Abdul-Jabbar at No. 1
The co-host of "The First Things First" believes that the GOAT debate should not just involve LeBron James and Michael Jordan. He emphasized that Abdul-Jabbar did enough in his career to be mentioned in the same breath as Jordan and James. On Colin Cowherd's podcast Wright said:
"When we're talking about the greatest ever, every bit matters. Jordan played far far shorter than the other guys, you can argue reached a higher peak if you want, but he played seven years lesser than Kareem and LeBron did, that has to matter.
LeBron's still playing at a high level, we have been told Colin that Michael Jordan averaging 20 points a game for a shitty Wizards team at the age of 40 is a badge of honor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar averaged 22PPG in the NBA Finals at age 40."
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played in the league for 20 years. LeBron has already completed 19 seasons and is looking as strong as ever. However, Michael Jordan played for only 14 years and took two breaks before he retired in 2003.
Going into more detail about the careers of the three greats, Wright said:
"We go to when they first walked into the league, Kareem was the best player, LeBron was finishing Top 3 in MVP by year 2 and he was straight out of high school. And then its also like, 'Ohh what's the profile coming into the league?' I don't know like LeBron was the greatest prospect ever, Kareem was a franchise changer that took a 27-win team to 56 wins.
"Jordan took a 27-win team to 38 wins, they both had 27 wins before they got there and Jordan was a really good college player who went third in the draft, like hmm that's interesting. Was Kareem ever gonna go third in the draft, I don't think so, was LeBron ever gonna go third in the draft, I don't think so."
Is it fair to place Michael Jordan third on the list of the 50 greatest NBA players?
Undoubtedly, Michael Jordan was one of the most iconic players to ever grace the basketball court. However, the top two names on Nick Wright's list have also done enough to be considered in the GOAT debate.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has a stacked resume and won everything in his glorious NBA career. LeBron James, on the other hand, is still striving to win a few more championships before he can call it quits.
A few more players could be added to the conversation as the years go by. But one thing that no one can take away from these three legends is the impact they have had on the game of basketball.
Considering all this, Nick Wright makes a good point but it is hard to fathom not having Jordan on top of the list.
