The GOAT debate in the basketball world has been taken to another level over the last few years, with two generations of basketball fans arguing back and forth about who the best NBA player ever to play the game is between LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
Ever since Jordan won his sixth NBA title with the Chicago Bulls back in 1998, the consensus has been that he’s the GOAT, with no other player being able to match his resume and dominance during his prime in the league.
Then James showed up in 2003 as a high schooler who made the jump straight to the professional level in the NBA and took the league by storm, leading to four titles won and a career that keeps going strong heading into his 21st season.
After passing Los Angeles Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the NBA’s all-time scoring list last season, many became convinced that James had passed Jordan, but the debate rages on and tends to make it on talk shows seemingly on a weekly basis.
Jordan is currently on vacation in Italy and was surrounded by Italian fans making goat noises, which prompted the following segment on ESPN’s “First Take” by Stephen A. Smith, via ClutchPoints.
“It saddens me that we have to travel across the ocean to see people recognizing what everyone in America should already know. Michael Jordan is the greatest EVER.”
Stephen A. Smith on kids making goat noises at MJ in Italy 👀🐐
(via @FirstTake)pic.twitter.com/ZbFuxYLygg
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 22, 2023
Smith claims he’s disappointed because he believes Jordan is the undisputed GOAT and can’t get the respect he deserves until he travels overseas.
Obviously, Smith is going a bit overboard with his reaction here, as there are still a lot of basketball fans in this country who consider Jordan to be the cream of the crop with James right behind him.
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