Michael Jordan Edges Out LeBron James as NBA’s Greatest of All Time; Kobe Bryant Ranks 3rd in Player Survey.
Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images
Michael Jordan Edges Out LeBron James as NBA GOAT; Kobe Bryant Ranks 3rd in Player Poll
Tyler Conway
April 22, 2024
According to NBA players, the debate over the greatest of all time (GOAT) comes down to just two players, with everyone else far behind.
In a poll of 133 NBA players conducted by The Athletic, Michael Jordan narrowly surpassed LeBron James as the greatest player in NBA history. Jordan garnered 45.9 percent of the vote, while James received 42.1 percent.
Kobe Bryant placed a distant third with 9.8 percent, while Stephen Curry, Magic Johnson, and Paul Pierce each received a single vote (0.8 percent).
Most players and fans agree that Jordan and James are the top two players in NBA history.
Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images
Michael Jordan Edges Out LeBron James as NBA’s GOAT; Kobe Bryant Ranks 3rd in Player Poll
Tyler Conway
April 22, 2024
According to NBA players, the debate over the greatest player of all time (GOAT) is centered around two names, with the rest trailing far behind.
In a poll of 133 NBA players conducted by The Athletic, Michael Jordan narrowly surpassed LeBron James as the greatest player in NBA history. Jordan received 45.9% of the vote, while James followed closely with 42.1%.
Kobe Bryant placed third with 9.8%, while Stephen Curry, Magic Johnson, and Paul Pierce each earned 0.8%—the equivalent of one vote.
Most players and fans agree that Jordan and James stand alone as the two greatest players in NBA history.
The debate between Jordan and James often divides along generational lines. Younger fans who never saw Jordan in his prime tend to favor James, while older fans who witnessed Jordan’s six championships in the 1990s often dismiss comparisons to His Airness.
While The Athletic poll didn’t include age data, the majority of current NBA players grew up during James’ era. Even those in their mid-to-late 30s were just children watching Jordan. Despite this, Jordan’s legacy still holds enough weight to edge out James, who was a childhood idol for many of today’s players.
The omission of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, whose achievements rival Jordan’s championships and James’ longevity, is notable. It’s surprising that he didn’t receive a vote, while Paul Pierce did—a seeming disconnect from basketball history.
Ultimately, the definition of a GOAT varies from person to person.
