Michael Jordan doesn’t seem particularly interested in the never-ending GOAT debate.
In the latest Insights to Excellence clip released by NBA on NBC, Jordan, despite often being cited as the GOAT himself, offered a more nuanced take on such conversations by underscoring the importance each generation plays in the league’s larger history.
“The whole GOAT term is never going to be something that I ever will get high or low about,” Jordan said. “It just doesn’t exist with me. I never played against Oscar Robertson or Jerry West. Would have loved to, absolutely loved to, just as competitive as I am. I actually learned from them, and we paved the road to the Kobes and the LeBrons, right?”
As Jordan sees it, part of the “beauty of the game” is that a player can build on what past stars brought to the court, thus contributing to its continued evolution.
“Don’t then now use that against the player that actually taught you the game or that you learned from,” Jordan cautioned when detailing what he sees as the shortcomings of how the GOAT debate is handled. “That’s why I have a tough time. And look, I would love to have played against LeBron and Kobe in my prime. I would love to have played against those guys but we’ll never be able to know that. Part of the marketing, part of the hype, part of the things that tries to elevate one generation above the other—I think it creates animosity.”
The retired NBA superstar, fresh off a series of wins for his NASCAR team, added that he himself has “no animosity” against today’s league stars. But there are players, he argued, who do have a sense of animosity due to not acknowledging the contributions of others.
“It is what it is,” Jordan said. “It is an empty comparison. [You’ll] absolutely never find the true answer to that question.”
Jordan went on to specifically praise LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Durant for how they’ve been able to “elevate” the game in their own right. He also reiterated his point about the GOAT debate at large.
“I just don’t agree when you start trying to put one above the other,” he said. “It doesn’t work. We’ll never know. It creates more of a problem. … Not for me. I’ve never given it credence, but for other players who look for their existence within the generation of basketball. And we should always honor that. We should always preserve that.”
See more from the conversation above.
Jordan is indeed currently riding high in the world of NASCAR. 23XI Racing, a team he co-owns, recently saw one of its drivers, Tyler Reddick, securing a remarkable three wins in a row.
“It’s time for change, and the guys feel the same thing,” Jordan told FOX’s Jamie Little after his team made history with the third win earlier this month.
