2. Bill Russell (1956-1969) – C – 5 MVPs, 2 MVP Runner Ups, 3 time 1st team All-NBA, 8 time 2nd team All-NBA, 11 time champion (finals MVP was not awarded during his playing days), 4 time rebounding leader
1. Michael Jordan (1984-2003) – SG – 5 MVPS, 3 MVP Runner Ups, 10 time 1st team All-NBA, 1 time 2nd team All-NBA, 6 time champion, 6 finals MVPs, 10 time scoring leader
I’m going to keep this one brief as the “Greatest of All Time” debate is becoming more and more like politics every day. You are either a Jordan guy or you are a Lebron guy, there is no room for middle ground, and nothing the opposing side can say, no matter how rational or obvious, is going to sway somebody from one point of view to the other. I think it mostly comes down to who you were drawn to during your formative basketball fandom years. I will freely admit that Jordan was everything to me growing up, so there is nothing Lebron can do that would make me jump off the Jordan train. I also realize that, as younger generations of fans are coming up, less and less of them ever saw Jordan play, so it makes sense that Lebron is the player they identify more with, especially given the evolution of the game from Jordan’s era to now. Having said that, however, I do believe that the answer is quite clear, but I also understand that by saying my piece I am probably not convincing anybody who rides for Lebron to swap their allegiance. The best I can do is relay one of the strongest pro-Jordan arguments I have heard in a while. On my way to work the other day I was listening to Bill Simmons’ interview with lifetime Knicks fan Spike Lee (on the BS Podcast) and heard them provide, in my opinion, the closing argument for any Lebron vs Jordan G.O.A.T debate. They were reminiscing about the Charles Smith block game in the 1993 Eastern Conference finals where Charles Smith of the Knicks was repeatedly blocked by various members of the Bulls during the closing moments of game 5. The Knicks would go on to lose the game and the series. But the real story lies in how Knicks fans remember this moment in history where they were ever so close to finally knocking off their greatest tormenter. When Bill Simmons asked Spike Lee what he remembered about that game, Spike calmly responded that, after Smith got blocked, there was still 8 seconds on the clock, so what did it really matter as Jordan would have found a way to win regardless. Jordan simply wasn’t going to lose. Just the thought of it seemed ridiculous, and even with victory within Knicks fans’ grasp, hope seemed futile. The interview quickly moved on to other topics, but this insight into the psyche of NBA fans during the Bulls’ run of the 90s really grabbed my attention as it tells you all you need to know about why Jordan will forever be the G.O.A.T. There was never any doubt in Spike Lee’s mind, and I assume the minds of countless other Knicks fans, Pacers fans, Jazz fans, Suns fans, Blazers fans, Cavs fans…, that Jordan would find a way to rip their hearts out just as he had time and time again. Case closed.
The Jello's Jiggling 