“Who is the G.O.A.T.?”

A question that is at the center of the most heated debates in literally every sport. From comparisons of Messi and Ronaldo in the world of soccer, to arguing over the stats of Tom Brady and Joe Montana in the NFL. As long as sports are still around, the question will probably never go away.

The title, ‘Greatest Of All Time’, carries a heavy weight in sports, and fans and sports analysts everywhere constantly argue on who deserves the powerful label. Today, the most intense version of this debate can be found in the NBA. The National Basketball Association has consistently produced some of the best basketball players in the world. The league’s level of competition is so extreme, that this debate includes so many different potential candidates.

However, there is a clear winner. The G.O.A.T is Michael Jordan. Not only does he deserve the title, but Jordan outshines every other candidate in the mix with flying colors.

Michael Jordan is a one of the most decorated athletes in the history of the league. A 5x season MVP, 6x NBA champion, 6x finals MVP, 10x NBA scoring leader, 10x all-NBA first team, 3x all star game MVP, and a 14 all-star game appearance player, Jordan is easily the greatest to ever do it. These achievements themselves are evidence enough to solidify Michael Jordan as the G.O.A.T.

On the other hand, two players who are often compared to MJ are Kobe Bryant and Lebron James. Jordan was in the NBA for 15 seasons, and won 6 titles, all while never losing a single game in the NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant played 20 years in the NBA and only won 5 titles. He went to the NBA Finals 7 times and lost twice. Lebron James has been in the league for 14 seasons. He went to the Finals 8 times and lost 5 times. Not only has Lebron only won 3 titles, he has already past his prime, which was in 2008-2010, when James boasted around 9 apg, 30 ppg, and 8 rpg. Now, he only averages 8 apg, 28 ppg, and 7 rpg, which is still extremely impressive.

Another factor to consider when comparing players is the eras in which they each played. Jordan played during the early 80’s to the late 90’s. Kobe Bryant played from the late 90’s to the 2015-2016 season. Lebron started his career in the early 2000’s. Each player is from a different time period, which comes with its own respective level of competition. It is very difficult to compare players from different eras because it is impossible to predict how each player would have played during another time period. However, Jordan played in an era with much more physical competition than either of the other two candidates.

When it comes to basketball, if you’re trying to find out who’s the greatest, look no further than the legend himself. Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time, and all of the evidence supports it.