Two years ago, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith and Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas discussed who the greatest player of all time is on the network's First Take program.
Stephen A. asked Isiah to speak first, and Thomas argued why the debate should focus on former showtime Lakers captain Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the team's current superstar, LeBron James .
Isiah said that in any measurement criteria - winning percentage, statistics, impact on the game, and others, KAJ and Bron are in the Top 5 in almost every category. He added that in terms of popularity and marketability, Michael Jordan 'out-trumps everybody.'
"Michael Jordan, what he did from a marketing and basketball standpoint, is immeasurable," began Thomas. "And we never thought we'd see anybody do it ever again. But what LeBron James had done from a marketing and impact standpoint in terms of financial dollars coming in, he and Jordan stand alone in terms of improving our game and making it possible that we have these jobs to talk about them. So we thank Jordan, we thank LeBron but when it comes to measurement and criteria, LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are in categories by themselves."
Can't deny James after he passes Jabbar
According to Isiah, Kareem and LeBron dominated the sport for two decades. And if you're great for that long, you must be in the conversation. They are all also over the record books as among the NBA's all-time statistical leaders. Zeke says one cannot be considered the GOAT if he isn't number one in any category.
When Thomas was interviewed, Kareem was the NBA's all-time leader, so according to him, Cap should rightfully be in the GOAT conversation. When Stephen A. asked him if Cap or King were his GOAT, Thomas said Bron was the better player, but Kareem had the all-time scoring record.
"But by the time that LeBron James is finished, and we're measuring LeBron James now and he's still in his basketball playing career." continued Zeke. "But we can safely say that by the time he's done playing, he may have passed Kareem. When he passes Kareem in scoring, you have to anoint him as the GOAT."
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LeBron passed Kareem
One year after Stephen A. and Isiah's conversation, the Ohio native passed six-time MVP on top of the scoring mountain. Another year later, King James became the first player in NBA history to score 40,000 career points. Last month, Isiah stayed true to his word and anointed LeBron the GOAT using his stats.
"I think when you look at, like I say, he's touched, and he leads in almost every statistical category," Thomas told Kory Woods of MLive. "I mean, so when you talk about passing, scoring, rebounding, we've never had a player in the NBA that has touched every statistical category and leads in some of these statistical categories that we're talking about. There's never been another player like him. Now, everyone has their favorites, but if the numbers don't lie, the numbers don't lie. And he definitely passes the eye test. So to me, he's the best that I've ever seen from a team standpoint and also as a basketball player."
Many will say Isiah's opinion is biased against Jordan because of his long-standing beef with the Bulls legend. However, he does make a couple of good arguments. When we talk about all-time, it encompasses more than one period. Hence, longevity should be considered. He also makes the good point that to be the greatest, you have to be No.1 somewhere.
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