Is Hall of Fame former Chicago Bulls shooting guard Michael Jordan the NBA's GOAT (Greatest Of All Time)?
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A longtime NBA insider has weighed in on where the 6-foot-6 swingman, a 14-time All-Star in his day, stands.
Jordan managed to take the lineage of Julius "Dr. J" Irving to the next level, becoming the most dominant player of his era despite operating from the perimeter.
Is Jordan Still the GOAT?
A six-time NBA champion, the North Carolina product is, by average, the single most prolific scorer in league history.
A pair of Los Angeles Lakers legends, 21-time All-NBA forward LeBron James and 19-time All-Star center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Hall of Fame Boston Celtics center Bill Russell, an 11-time champion, have often been considered the other chief contenders for league GOAT status.
In a fresh Basketball Network interview, longtime hoops pundit Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson broke down the key differences in Jordan and James' games — and noted that another Lakers great had more in common with the five-time Chicago MVP.
"It's a fan and a media debate. But I never bought into it because Michael and LeBron are not the same player. The closest thing to Michael is Kobe," Robinson said. "Just hearing stories about Kobe and his work ethic at 17, 18 years old was insane to me... Kobe knew he was going to be one of those ones, and he walked in it."
Bryant famously emulated Jordan's playing style, often copying his signature moves to the most minute detail. Both thrived in the midrange and were lethal in the open floor.
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Jordan was one of the most efficient and lethal scorers of his era, while Bryant wasn't quite at that level.
James, however, is a wholly different kind of player, more oriented towards distribution than scoring dominance.
"LeBron is a throwback to so many different people. To me, at his size, there are comparisons to Charles Barkley, there's comparisons to Penny Hardaway, there's comparisons to Scottie Pippen, there's comparisons to Tim Duncan," Robinson said. "This whole comparison thing is really not new. I remember having a conversation with Dr. J on comparisons with different people."
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