Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas is one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Because of his pedigree and long list of accomplishments, he is in a unique position to answer some of the tougher philosophical NBA questions out there.
And that is precisely what he did this week.
On Thursday, Thomas attempted to settle the debate once and for all on who the greatest of all time is between Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan.
Thomas’ commentary largely speaks for itself:
.@IsiahThomas believes that LeBron is the most dominant player he’s ever seen.
“When he passes Kareem in scoring, you HAVE to anoint him as the GOAT.” 🐐 pic.twitter.com/WQRMnrIX18
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 24, 2022
“I can speak from experience, and I can speak factually and accurately,” he said. “I’m on that list, Kareem’s on that list, Magic’s on that list and I say all-around player, by the time LeBron James is done, he is the only player in the history of our game that will probably be ranked top-10 or top-five in every single statistical category.
“Never been done before. Now we’ve had some players who dominate as a scorer, or dominate the boards, but we have never ever ever in my lifetime or anyone else’s who is so thoroughly dominant in every category.
“When I say LeBron James is the GOAT, here’s what I mean. When you talk about he and Kareem in terms of their 20-year dominance, both of them have been able to touch every single aspect of the sport and also be leaders in that category.”
Thomas, obviously, is not an unbiased party. He hates Jordan with a fiery passion and always has. That said, his point deserves consideration. And it is backed up by at least one of Jordan’s own teammates.
Someone agreed to marry Grayson Allen. https://t.co/ypd2RwwtDt
— Game 7 (@game7__) February 24, 2022
For what it’s worth, Jordan has his fair share of supporters as well. Many regard him as the true GOAT, not James.
For better or worse this argument isn’t going away any time soon. Will a consensus ever be reached? Time will tell.
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Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
