Who is the NBA’s GOAT? Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James (2024)
It’s a question for the ages: Who is the greatest basketball player of all time? It turns out, NBA players are just like the rest of us, and it’s between Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
That’s according to The Athletic‘s 2024 anonymous NBA player poll where their staff interviewed 142 players, about a third of the league, from March 5 to April 11.
They were asked a variety of questions to decide who is the most popular choice for MVP, most overrated, player they’d least like to fight and referees, as well as new debates over the 65-game rule and the commissioner’s letter grade, the outlet explained. “All 30 teams had a voice.”
When it comes to who the GOAT is, 133 players cast their vote in this year’s poll.
The Chicago Bulls great Jordan took the lead with 45.9% of the votes, while Los Angeles Lakers star James got 42.1%.
This is the first time in the poll’s history that Jordan has had this narrow of a lead.
The poll began in 2019, with His Airness receiving 73% to King James’ 11.9%.
The site took a break during the pandemic and picked the survey back up in 2023 with Jordan dunking a 58.3% over James’ 33%.
The Athletic’s Sean Amick that it’s James’ longevity in the game that’s helped him come close to MJ.
“He’ll be 40 years old on Dec. 30, yet is still great enough to be widely considered one of the best players in today’s game. While Jordan was epic in his 14-year career, from his 6-0 record in the NBA Finals to his five Most Valuable Player awards and his incredible two-way play, many players shared the view that James’ ability to remain elite for more than two decades puts him over the top,” he wrote.
While Jordan dominated most of his career, when he was James’ age he was in “the last of his two forgettable seasons” with the Washington Wizards. “He was putting up good numbers on a badWizardsteam that went 37-45 in both of his postseason-less campaigns.”
He also noted that James has “saved some of his best work for last.” He has broken Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’sall-time scoring recordand led the Lakers to the WesternConference finals just months later. Later that year, he led the team to win the inaugural In-Season Tournament title.
James is also the first player to be named to a 20th All-Star team in February of this year.
The Chicago Bulls great Jordan took the lead with 45.9% of the votes, while Los Angeles Lakers star James got 42.1%. This is the first time in the poll's history that Jordan has had this narrow of a lead. The poll began in 2019, with His Airness receiving 73% to King James' 11.9%.
Michael Jordan #23 of the Chicago Bulls is pictured in 1990 running with the ball during the game. In an anonymous poll by The Athletic surveying 142 NBA players, results found that the majority consider Michael Jordan the greatest player of all time (GOAT). And for the third consecutive time.
The Athletic polled 133 NBA players for a new, wide-ranging feature, wherein 46 percent of respondents identified Jordan as the Association's GOATed player.
James has four rings but leads Jordan in nearly every other statistic. Jordan leads in points, averaging 30.1 to 27.1, but James beats Jordan in rebounds, 7.5 to 6.2; assists, 7.4 to 5.3; field goal percentages, 50.5 to 49.7; and 3-point percentages, 34.7 to 32.7. James also played in 400 more regular season games.
The list includes only points scored in regular season games. The second chart is a progressive list of the leading all-time NBA scorers. LeBron James is the leading scorer in NBA history. LeBron James has scored the most career regular season points in NBA history.
Earl Manigault. Caitlin Clark. These three athletes all have been called "The GOAT," but what does that even mean? The term "GOAT" is an acronym for "Greatest of All Time" and is believed to have originated in the world of hip-hop music in the 1990s.
Ronaldo and Messi have been the two names for the title of GOAT of Football. Both are known for their successful and tremendous performances in football.
LeBron James is the NBA's all-time scoring leader. Does that finally tip the balance to him from Michael Jordan as the sport's GOAT? With each passing game, LeBron James, the newly crowned all-time scoring champion, puts more distance between himself and all those enshrined in basketball's hall of fame.
These five include: the MJ brand, Jordan's killer instinct, the fact that he conquered his nemeses', his having staying power with the Chicago Bulls, and his unbeaten NBA Finals record.
He was integral in popularizing basketball and the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s, becoming a global cultural icon. His profile on the NBA website states, "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time."
His secret was self-motivation. What separated Jordan from every other player wasn't just his desire to win. It wasn't just his desire to be the best. What made Jordan the all-time greatest player was the unquenchable fire and self-motivation that powered him from one incredible achievement to the next.
Michael Jordan may have struggled against a few teams during the regular season, but he dominated 15 out of 30 teams he ever played against in the league. Even if Jordan has a losing record against four teams, he has a spotless 6-0 record in the NBA Finals.
For LeBron to be considered the 'Greatest Of All Time', he needs to exceed Michael Jordan's marketing bravado. Other answers have spoken about how LeBron needs to win more rings, have a better Playoffs and Finals record, become a more fierce competitor and such; and these answers are all valid.
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