One of the greatest debates in the history of the NBA has been about who the Greatest of All Time is. Most people in basketball circles would agree that the debate is between former star guard Michael Jordan and current Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
For the longest time, Jordan was seen as the clear-cut G.O.A.T. but James has closed the gap, if not surpassed him, for many people. James is the All-Time leading scorer in NBA history and has continued to play at a very high level as he approaches age 40.
The play we have seen from James at this stage of his career is unlike anything we have ever seen before. Adding onto that, James just helped lead Team USA to claim the gold medal at the 2024 Olympics.
James was dubbed “Captain America” by many and ended up winning his third gold medal over his career. At times, the almost 40-year-old looked like the best player on Team USA among all the other All-Star talent.
Following the win at the Olympics, NBA personality Kendrick Perkins was asked what this gold medal meant for James’ legacy and Perkins did hold back. The former NBA center admitted that James has firmly surpassed Jordan as the GOAT in basketball history.
Kendrick Perkins on what LeBron James’ third gold medal means for his legacy: “The greatest of all time. Greeny, I know you might not like this this morning, but he got one up on MJ right now… he has three gold medals. MJ has two… he’s the most important player in… pic.twitter.com/qzUADbDkEv
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 12, 2024
“The greatest of all time. Greeny, I know you might not like this this morning, but he got one up on MJ right now… he has three gold medals. MJ has two… he’s the most important player in basketball.”
This is quite the take from a former rival of James on the court. Perkins battled against James multiple times while he was with the Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder.
James winning another gold medal along with the longevity he has seen in the NBA does help his claim to being the GOAT. The 20-time All-Star almost won the MVP honor of the Olympics for men’s basketball.
He is still among the best players in the world despite being almost 40 years old and he has kept the Lakers relevant over the last few seasons.
There are those who would push back on the GOAT debate since Jordan went undrafted in the NBA Finals in his career. Everyone has an opinion when it comes to this debate and there may not be a right answer.
But what James has done this summer will surely help him in the eyes of basketball fans.
