LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan is the most common debate in the NBA. Whether you’re a player, an analyst, or a fan, you have an opinion on which of these fantastic athletes is the GOAT.
Recently, longtime NBA wing and former NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner Terrence Ross weighed in on the debate.
During a live stream on Twitch, Ross was asked who he thought deserved Olympics MVP: James or Stephen Curry? For Ross, there was no question.
“LeBron was the best player in the entire Olympics, bro,” Ross said. “Curry did his thing in the last two games, he absolutely shot the piss out of the ball, like he’s known to do. LeBron literally put the team on his back and led them all the way there [the gold]. I mean, without LeBron, Curry might not even get those shots off.”
Ross then took the question even further, claiming that James’ longevity and consistency put him closer to GOAT status than Jordan.
“LeBron is literally, to me now, he’s the GOAT,” Ross said. “I don’t know how you can put Jordan over him. If Jordan would have done what he was doing for 20 years, ‘I’m like yeah. Like, LeBron has a long way to go’.”
“The truth of the matter is he played basketball twice, returned twice. Got a three-peat on his first return, and the second time he came back he was not the same player.
“LeBron has literally been on a peak his entire career,” Ross continued. “I mean, he just gets older, but he still is as effective as he’s always been.”
Ross isn’t wrong. James is heading into his 22nd consecutive season in the NBA. He claimed Rookie of the Year his freshman season and proceeded to be named to the All-Star team for 20 years in a row.
Additionally, Ross believes that the competition James has been playing against is much more impressive than what Jordan faced.
“I mean, in the level of competition he’s doing it against is, to me, more impressive than the competition that Jordan won against, if we’re gonna be honest about it,” Ross concluded.
In the end, it cannot be denied that both players have made major contributions to the game of basketball. James and Jordan should both be celebrated for everything they have accomplished.
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