Lebron James is the Goat of basketball

Question

On HoopsHype's list of NBA greats, LeBron James now sits atop at No. 1 edging out Michael Jordan.

Comments

I like how straightforward your description is because it causes someone who is interested to look into the research further. I can too agree with the website that LeBron should be at number 1. Overall, great job at providing quick info with a great, useful link.

Answer 1

This is purely up to opinion; It depends on what defines the greatest. For some people, it's up to who has better-scoring potential, and it could also be up to who has more rings. This is purely up to opinion as neither can play each other in their primes, and both have played in different eras. The debate on who's the goat is up to the opinions of the people arguing.

Comments

AJ, I love and fully agree with your take on this argument being opinionated, but I would have loved to see one piece of evidence supporting that Lebron is the GOAT and isn't the GOAT. I like that you kept some points to show how opinionated it is. Below are two articles, one saying why Lebron is the Goat and one saying why not.

-https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/lebron-james-goat-stats-accolades-michael-jordan-debate/2c1a89fd8c8505213c44c4dc#:~:text=James%20holds%20the%20record%20for,upon%20him%20as%20a%20teenager.


-https://thegame730am.com/answering-the-goat-debate-its-not-lebron/

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I agree that the GOAT debate of basketball is a slippery slope at best, but I don't agree that it is purely opinionated. Basketball has many advanced statistics these days, but many point to peaks and accomplishments. In an article by the New York Times, they highlight LeBron breaking the all time scoring record as well as averaging similar if not better stats in some respects in his 20th season in the nba as during his peak years. This is an unheard of borderline inhuman level of longevity we are seeing from LeBron James. Not to mention Michael Jordan in an interview shut down the amount of rings argument stating that Bill Russell had won 11 and Jordan only 6 yet that didn't make him a better player than Jordan. This argument still applies to LeBron.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5432961/2024/04/23/lebron-james-goat-michael-jordan-nba-player-poll/

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I agree with you that it is purely up to opinion as who is the goat of basketball based on fanbases, different eras or other stuff. I was able to find an in-depth article comparing LeBron and Jordan's stats, as that's how I and a lot of other people decide who is the goat.

https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/graphics/2023/02/16/nbas-best-player-lebron-jordan-statistics/11222031002/

Answer 2

I personally agree that Lebron is the greatest basketball player of all time, but that title is not defined to everyone the same way. Also in my opinion, Lebron and Jordan are artists, making them non-comparable in a way. In the article that states this claim, their main source of evidence was Lebron's impressive performance during the 2024 Olympic games. I personally feel like this isn't enough of a solid piece of evidence to support such a big claim, something more suitable that would make me feel convinced that Lebron is the G.O.A.T. would be statistics that show him as a consistently better player over the years of his career versus Jordans career.

Comments

While I agree with your fact check, I think it's worth noting that there is no true answer and it's purely based on personal opinion. You can use evidence and statistics to make arguments, the conversation about who's the GOAT will always be changing and answers vary from person to person.

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I think your answer is good however there is no right or wrong answer on who is the goat of basketball.  It is a personal opinion and while stats and numbers can show who is playing the best it still will not change some people's minds.

Answer 3

This answer changes depending on what era of basketball you grew up watching. Older people will always say Jordan while younger will say LeBron. There are many stats you can look at and see who statistically is better which would be LeBron but there is no actual way to tell who was the actual better player.

Answer 4

This is purely up to opinion. We will never know who the greatest of all time is because it is always just an opinion. This just cannot be a fact. Obviously LeBron has many accolades but people believe other players are the best as well.

Answer 5

LeBron Raymone James, where do I even start. Although this is opinion based, Lebron is the goat of basketball and it's by a mile. The man left skipped college and went straight to the NBA after high school as a 18 year old. When he entered the league he dominated, even in present time. Although he's 40 years young he is still a top a player in the league at his position. He's at 4x NBA champion soon to be 5 and a 4 time MVP. He has won 2x Olympic gold medals, along with having the most point scored ever. He even came back down 3-1 in the 2016 NBA Finals. 

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/los-angeles-lakers/news/lebron-james-goat-stats-accolades-michael-jordan-debate/2c1a89fd8c8505213c44c4dc#:~:text=James%20holds%20the%20record%20for,upon%20him%20as%20a%20teenager.

Answer 6

This is opinion based, however, there is a lot of information out there to back up the statement. Lebron James is the NBA's all-time top scorer and is a three-time Olympic champion. He is also the first player to having played across 4 decades-- this not only shows dedication but sustained excellence and longevity.

https://apnews.com/article/lebron-james-40-birthday-nba-860c75a450f50282330381cc99c0e5c0

https://www.olympics.com/en/news/lebron-james-points-tracker-nba-all-time-top-scorer