It feels as though the debate regarding the basketball GOAT is as old as time itself at this point, and that debate typically involves players like Michael Jordan and LeBron James. For years now, there have been fans who’ve called Jordan the best player to ever set foot on the hardwood. However, given James’ accomplishments, some believe the (still-active) NBA veteran now surpasses “His Airness.” Charles Barkley was recently asked if James now sits above Jordan in the rankings, and I loved his cerebral answer.
62-year-old Charles Barkley spoke at the Rowan University Center for Sports Communication and Social Impact. While Barkley was taking questions, a fan asked if “King James” overtakes MJ as the basketball GOAT. The attendee – whose name was ironically, Jordan – based his question on the fact that James is now the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, ranks high in different statistical categories and has played more than 20 seasons among other distinctions. As seen on YouTube, Barkley laid out his answer as follows:
Those are some incredible stats. I'm never gonna to say anything bad about LeBron, I told you. I think he's the third-best player I've ever seen play, after Michael and Kobe. Two things I'll say. The game is easier to play [now]. There's no physicality whatsoever…. Go back and look at 'The Last Dance.' The way the Pistons… the way they were hitting Michael Jordan today, if you did it, you get suspended for a month. They just got two free throws back in the day.
“Sir Charles” is known for dishing out blunt takes on basketball and non-sports-related topics. As funny and animated as he can be when sharing thoughts, Barkley is known to choose his words carefully on some topics. He makes a very good point in that the game is played a lot differently today and that rules have been instituted that have lowered the lack of physicality. As mentioned, The Last Dance (the Chicago Bulls docuseries that’s available with a Netflix subscription) shows how chippy games could get back in the ‘80s and ‘90s. With that, an athlete like Michael Jordan had to be quite strong to impose their will.
Of course, the now-40-year-old LeBron James is a physically imposing presence in his own right and has been highly regarded for how he’s been able to keep himself in shape. When it comes to how James compares to Air Jordan, Charles Barkley simply stated the obvious – that these are two players who competed in “different eras.” However, Barkley also shared his take on how James had an advantage over Jordan:
If he wanted to do it fair, he would say, ‘Well, how many games does Michael Jordan play compared to LeBron James?’ And, actually, if you look at the numbers, Michael actually had 5,000 more points in his career, the same number of games. 5,000, which is two-and-a-half NBA seasons. But you have to factor in that Michael went to college for three years. And then he broke his foot his first year, and he retired for two years. So, if Michael went to the NBA three years sooner, not missed his second year with a broken foot, and not retired for two years, he would have been the all-time leading scorer.
Barkley, who used to be friends with Michael Jordan, ultimately couldn’t convince the fan as. Because, when the former Phoenix Sun asked if he’d take Jordan, James or the late Kobe Bryant if he had to win a Game 7 matchup, the fan said James.
The ongoing GOAT discussion is honestly very interesting, and everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, of course. I still lean towards Michael Jordan being “the one,” but there are certainly arguments to be made for Lebron James and others. Ironically enough, years ago, Jordan shut down the GOAT talk surrounding him and the likes of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Given the times in which they played in their respective primes, he sees himself as parallel to those two.
More than likely, this debate regarding who’s the best basketball player of all time is likely going to persist. In my humble opinion, though, if it continues to spark positive discussions, including the one Charles Barkley had with the fan, I’m all for it.
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