The GOAT debate has never stopped, and probably never will. From the era of Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, through Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jerry West, to Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird, all the way to Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Every era had its hero, and we haven’t even mentioned them all.
Then there’s the newer generation, and once their careers end, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Nikola Jokic will surely enter the conversation. We must not forget Tim Duncan and Hakeem Olajuwon. At the end of the day, it’s all a matter of taste.
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Shaquille O’Neal is another NBA legend whose name practically always appears on all-time NBA lists. In 2020, Shaq addressed the GOAT debate on The Dan Patrick Show after being impressed by The Last Dance documentary.
“The fair thing to say is we should probably break it down by eras on who was the best player ever, but it’s Michael Jordan by far. Some of the things he’s done, I don’t see anybody being close to that. He’s a 10. There’s a lot of 7s or 8s around there but there’s no 9s or 10s” he said.
Jordan’s execution was immaculate
The claim that Jordan is the only 10, the full package in his eyes, might raise some eyebrows. But consider the fact that there wasn’t anything on the court Jordan didn’t execute perfectly. The man has 10 scoring titles in 15 seasons, won DPOY and was a nine-time member of the league’s best defensive team. Rarely has anyone in league history dominated both sides of the floor for so long. On the other hand, he was criticized for weaker shooting and a lack of assist awareness. However, Jordan was never asked to be a facilitator because the Chicago Bulls’ system never required it.
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During the 1988-89 season, Bulls’ coach Doug Collins was experimenting with the starting five and had asked MJ to play the point. Jordan answered with a streak of seven triple-doubles, 10 in 11 games. That season he played 81 games, averaging 40.2 minutes, 32.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 2.9 steals on 53.8 percent from the field. It was basketball perfection. It’s still considered one of the best individual seasons in league history, as Jordan showed that he could dominate this aspect of the game if the team demanded it.
Although many questioned his shooting, Jordan is still considered the best mid-range shooter in league history. The fact that he shot only 32.7 percent from beyond the arc throughout his career doesn’t diminish the fact that he was an elite shooter; he simply dominated mid-range like today’s Kevin Durant or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
His 6-0 Finals record further fuels the GOAT debate, because once he reached the Finals, he didn’t lose. Just ask his Dream Team teammates. Even though he retired twice and then returned to the game, missing the chance to break more records in league history, it doesn’t change the fact that during his prime, no player dominated like him.
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The GOAT debate will never be objective
LeBron is the first in recent times pushed into the conversation, mainly due to his longevity and the records he broke along the way. Also, the fact that his production never dropped, even at Year 22, further confirms that LeBron deserves to be in the discussion. Yet, his career Finals record is 4-6, he has only one scoring title, no DPOY awards, and fewer MVPs and Finals MVPs than MJ.
Comparing career averages, Jordan averaged more points, steals, and shot better from the free-throw line, while James had more rebounds, assists, blocks, and a better field-goal percentage on average. The truth is, it’s impossible to choose a GOAT by objective measures. If we only look at rings, Russell is the one, if we only look at individual stats, Wilt, if we look at how much popularity one brought to the league, Magic and Bird, if we look at longevity and success, Kareem and LeBron, and if we look at everything as a whole, it’s Jordan and Kobe as the closest thing we’ve seen to him.
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Still, Shaq’s statement that Jordan was a “10” while everyone else is just somewhere near that may be the closest to the truth.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 22, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.