There are several legends whose influences are the reason where NBA is today. Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and other such icons are among the best players to ever suit up on an NBA hardwood. However, there are merely two names that dominate the GOAT conversations – Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Considered GOAT and GOAT 2.0 by many fans around the world, Jordan and James are two of the most influential athletes of the game. Unfortunately, we weren’t lucky enough to ever witness these two legends matchup against each other. But, if they did have a contest, Jordan once said that he’d be the winner of that hypothetical battle.
Back in 2003, LeBron James was one of the most hyped prospects entering the league. Several sports apparel companies wanted to sign the youngster even before ‘the King’ set foot on the NBA hardwood. Nike, Reebok, and Adidas were all in the race to acquire the prodigy. Reebok even offered Bron $15 million more than what Nike was willing to give. But, using their Michael Jordan connections, Nike managed to sign James to a seven-year, $87 million offer.
12 years after, Jordan would go on to boast that a one-on-one hypothetical clash would end with James losing the duel.
Michael Jordan had no doubts about the outcome of a one-on-one battle against LeBron JamesIn 2015, the Chicago Bulls legend was answering several questions during a session at the Michael Jordan Flight School in Santa Barbara. One of the attendees asked the five-time Most Valuable Player to reveal the outcome of a one-on-one contest against LeBron James. After repeating the question, MJ took a short pause and gave out a pretty expected reply. Take a look at the reel posted on Instagram by bucketz_prod.
“If I was in my prime, could I beat LeBron in a one-on-one? No question.”
However, this wasn’t the only time he weighed in on such a topic. During a promotional clip for NBA 2K14, the Hall-Of-Famer named several all-time greats whom he could defeat in a one-on-one contest. As you may have already guessed, James was included on this list as well.
Knowing how competitive he is, Jordan is never going to bet against himself.
What are Jordan and James’ take on the GOAT debate?James and Jordan have been asked about their opinions on the GOAT several times over the past few years. Even though MJ thinks he’d defeat Bron in a one-on-one contest, the latter doesn’t consider himself to be the GOAT. In fact, in a Cigar Aficionado interview with Marvin Shanken, Jordan completely dismissed the infamous argument.
“I won six championships, Bill Russell won 11. Does that make Bill Russell better than me or make me better than him? No. Because we played in different eras. So when you try to equate who’s the greatest of all time, it’s an unfair parallel, it’s an unfair choice… For me, I think they’re both great. I would never say one is greater than the other.”
Contrary to what His Airness’ opinions are, LeBron James didn’t show any humility while dubbing himself to be the GOAT.
Unlike NFL, swimming, and a few other sports, the NBA has no undisputed GOAT. We would probably get a better idea when we compare the two icons’ resumes following the Los Angeles Lakers superstar’s retirement.
