The never-ending debate in sports always revolves around who the greatest player of all time happens to be. In the NBA, most would agree that title belongs to Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan.
Since LeBron James’ early days in the league, plenty of fans have flip-flopped from Jordan to “The King.” Yet, if you really know ball, you know there is no argument here.
Jordan is the clear “GOAT,” and the NBA went out and proved that this week.
The NBA decided to rename a handful of awards, starting with the NBA MVP. From here on out, the MVP will be presented with The Michael Jordan Trophy.
What more proof do you need that the argument is officially closed, here?
The NBA closed the door on the age-old argument. Bulls legend Michael Jordan is clearly the greatest of all time.
This argument has so many layers to it. We could talk all day long about statistics, but the LeBron fans would use the heightened numbers to try and sway your belief. The fact is, LeBron will likely own the majority of all-time records when it comes to career totals. He’s played more games than Jordan. It’s a weak set of evidence.
When you look deeper, there is one major reason why Jordan is the greatest, and it has to do with his competitive nature. The man refused to lose. He was the guy you knew was going to have the ball in his hands for that last shot. He was the guy you knew was going to pour out his blood, sweat and tears on that court every night, doing everything he could to win the game.
Today’s NBA, and actually over the past decade or so, has become a whole lot softer. It’s become commercialized, socialized and players are more about themselves and their brand rather than simply winning basketball games.
Jordan was a different breed. In fact, there are a couple of players you might argue ahead of LeBron in the “GOAT” debate, if we’re being real. For starters, Kobe Bryant was the closest thing we’ve seen to Jordan — not LeBron.
Again, this argument could go on forever. But, the NBA decided to rename this award The Michael Jordan Trophy. They didn’t choose The LeBron James Trophy or even The Wilt Chamberlain Trophy — no, not even The Kobe Bryant Trophy.
The NBA MVP will be the recipient of The Michael Jordan Trophy, named after the clear-cut greatest basketball player there ever was.
Case closed.