The GOAT debate is no longer exclusive toNBA analysts or fans. Even the players have engaged and shared their thoughts on who they think is the greatest player to ever lace them up.
Unsurprisingly, the players’ opinion is also divided. Some of them think Michael Jordan is the undisputed GOAT, while others— mostly those who got to play with or against him— think it’s LeBron James.
Notably, Paul George seems to think the truth is somewhere in the middle. In the debut episode of his new podcast “Podcast P,” he called James the GOAT of his generation, although he also gave Jordan his flowers.
Paul George Claims Michael Jordan Would’ve Never Retired If He Knew About LeBron James
“Yeah, he’s the GOAT of this generation,” George said of LeBron. “You got to give him that, with what he’s doing and what he’s done.”
“MJ took years off, came back, took years off,” George claimed. “If MJ knew that there was this LeBron specimen coming, he definitely would have been like, ‘Alright, I ain’t taking no years off. We gonna keep elevating this.'”
Luka Doncic Is The Only Player Who Can Catch LeBron, Claims George
George also discussed LeBron’s longevity and scoring record. Per the forward, only Luka Doncic could catch or pass James somewhere down the line, albeit he doesn’t think he’s going to play long enough to achieve that:
“What he’s doing is unbelievable with those stats,” PG said. “You look at what Luka is doing being the young version of LeBron in terms of passing, scoring, and rebounding. From a numbers standpoint, Luka could probably catch Bron, but the longevity is what I don’t think people will get to.”
“Twenty years of being dominant,” continued George. “I don’t think nobody will be cut that way to take care of your body, to be that on-point in the media, to be that on-point on the court. He’s a superhuman!”
Doncic’s still going through a historically great start to his career, so there’s no doubt he could be the one to break all— or most— LeBron’s marks. Whether he’d want to be in the league for 20+ years, though, remains to be seen.
