Dallas Mavericks Head Coach and basketball legend Jason Kidd voiced out his stance on the debate on who is the GOAT or greatest of all time in NBA history: Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James.
Kidd, widely considered as one of the best point guards who played the game, had the opportunity to play against both great competitors (against Jordan in the 90s and versus James in the 2000s) weigh in on who is the better player between the two of the greatest players ever to set foot on the hardcourt.
According to the 10-time NBA All-Star, the GOAT is LeBron James, as reported by The Sports Rush.
Mavericks Reporter Dwain Price conveyed Kidd's argument on Twitter: "I think LeBron will go down as the greatest to do it. When you look at his numbers -- what he's done on and off the floor -- no one's done that. You got to put the whole package together. He's the greatest of all time."
The 49-year old coach commented before the Dallas Mavericks battled the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, where the latter lost, 128-110.
Jason Kidd on if MJ or LBJ is the greatest of all-time: "I think LeBron will go down as the greatest to do it. When you look at his numbers -- what he’s done on and off the floor -- no one’s done that. You got to put the whole package together. He’s the greatest of all-time."
— Dwain Price (@DwainPrice) March 29, 2022
Kidd was part of the Mavs team that beat James' Heat in the Finals back in 2011. He was also recently named one of the NBA's top 75 players of all time, so his opinion, no doubt, carries a lot of weight.
Though, this season is one of the most embarrassing for James. Despite his latest milestone of surpassing Karl Malone in second place in the All-Time Scoring Leaders List, the Lakers still struggle to rise from the lower part of the standings in the Western Conference, with a vague chance to make it to the playoffs.
Poll: Jordan is The Most Influential Basketball Player Ever
As the LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan GOAT debate goes on, a recent HoopsHype poll of 52 current and former NBA players named l Jordan as the most influential player ever.
Jordan got a share of 73.85% of the maximum votes possible, while LeBron James got 37.69%.
Those who voted for Jordan argue that "His Airness," who never lost a finals series with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s, has "unimpeachable" accomplishments inside and outside the basketball world.
"He just made the game look so fun and painted an amazing picture with the way he played," a former NBA player told the sports media.
Just Appreciate Greatness
Meanwhile, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green shared an interesting take on the GOAT debate: just appreciate both. Green has a lot of history with LeBron, as the Warriors faced James for four straight seasons in the NBA Finals.
The Warriors forward added his two cents to the never-ending debate on LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan, as per Sports Illustrated. On the Draymond Green Show, he discussed the dispute that once LeBron surpasses Kareem to become the all-time leading scorer, he will beat Michael Jordan to become the greatest of all time.
Green argues that the achievement does not alter James' or Jordan's well-deserved places in NBA history. "They're both incredible, they're both great, they're both GOATs," he noted.
He also dislikes comparing the two amazing athletes of their respective eras, and it would be better for fans to appreciate their greatness instead."They're both incredible and they never played against each other. So how can we ever settle that? It's all subjective, and I hate that in sports," Green said.
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