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If there is one debate that the NBA cannot settle on, it is about who the GOAT is between Michael Jordan and LeBron James. There is no other more heated discussion in the entire basketball world and has been this way for almost two decades from when James first entered the league in 2003.
Recently, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant's legendary trainer Tim Grover chimed in with his input in front of a crowd. As expected, Grover argued that Jordan is the GOAT. His argument was broken up into three parts, two of them being questions. Here is a video of the same:
Tim Grover obviously believes that his arguments are valid and prove that Jordan is the GOAT. However, it is not ultimately up to him to decide that but rather on the hands of basketball fans, players and critics alike.
Argument 1: Michael Jordan is the GOAT because he did something that has only happened four times in NBA history
Tim Grover's first argument and the only one related to Michael Jordan and LeBron James' basketball play was that Jordan accomplished something that has only happened four times in the history of the NBA.
Here is what Grover argued:
"In the history of the NBA. Four times. Where one player has won the scoring title, won the regular season MVP, was a first-team defensive player, led the playoffs in scoring, and won MVP in the NBA Finals. All five things. It’s only happened four times in the NBA. Do you know who the four players to do it were? Jordan, Jordan, Jordan, Jordannand Jordan.”
This accomplishment is unique to Jordan and highlights how dominant he was on both ends of the floor in his prime. While it is a valid argument in favor of Jordan, it has nothing to do with LeBron James. It does not speak at all to what James was able to accomplish in his career. James, after all, is the leading scorer in NBA history, and that by itself has tremendous value.
Argument 2: Michael Jordan is the GOAT because of his popular shoes
Tim Grover's second question or argument was that Jordan is the GOAT because of the success that his signature shoes Air Jordans have had off the court. To illustrate this, Grover said:
“No. 2, if you own a pair of Jordans or have a pair of Jordans, stand up.”
Responding to this, a lot of people in the crowd stood up. After this, Grover said:
“If you have a pair of LeBrons on, stand up.”
This time fewer people stood up. Grover's argument was that more people wear Jordans because he is the GOAT. It is hard to imagine a world where we measure the success of a basketball player by how many shoes they sell. However, Grover was able to paint it for the audience, be it legitimate or not.
Jordans obviously sell way more than LeBrons and for good reason. While Jordans are sneakers that people can wear in their daily lives, LeBrons are a functional shoe that is typically only used on the basketball court, hence its popularity is inevitably limited.
That said, this is not to take away from the success of Jordans which even LeBron James would have nothing but praise for. However, it might not be the best metric to crown somebody as the GOAT.
Argument 3: Michael Jordan is the GOAT because Jordans get robbed
Tim Grover's argument only seems to get more and more strange. Grover's third and final question or argument was to point out how many people have had their pair of Jordans stolen vs Brons.
This is what Grover said:
“No. 3, here comes the mic drop right here. Alright? We’ve all heard stories about individuals getting robbed for their Jordans. Have you heard the story of anyone getting stuck up for their pair of Brons? There you go.”
First of all, there is a logical fallacy in this argument. Since people own more Jordans, it is likely that more Jordans will in fact be stolen. This is not about somebody wanting to steal Jordans over Brons because Jordan was a better player. Instead, it's simply that more Jordans are available to be stolen and they do carry more monetary value which serves as an incentive as well.
