Hawklets Weigh in on the Basketball GOAT Debate

The King added another jewel to his crown. LeBron James broke one of the NBA’s most coveted records on Feb. 7, overtaking Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring mark of 38,387 points in a 38-point performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder. This new accolade adds to James’s already well-developed legacy, which includes four MVP awards, four NBA championships, and four NBA finals MVP awards.

ESPN ranked the greatest basketball players of all time following last season. They put James second, trailing only Michael Jordan. However, a growing number of fans are starting to disagree. With James becoming the NBA’s all-time scoring leader, the gap between James and Jordan has seemingly narrowed. According to several Hawklet students, the new record should be the tipping point for Jordan fans to acknowledge James as the Greatest of All Time (GOAT). Junior Dom Yarbrough believes that the scoring record makes it hard to deny James’s greatness.

“To be honest, I thought ‘Bron was already the GOAT,” Yarbrough said. “I just hope the record makes all the old heads realize that they are watching something that we’ve never seen before.”

Yarbrough thinks Jordan fans hesitate to recognize James’ accomplishments for many reasons.

“They just grew up watching him,” Yarbrough said. “It’s going to be hard to change their minds. They also think that the league was way tougher when MJ played, which is cap. Throw ‘Bron on those Bulls teams and he would have more rings than fingers.”

There are also numerous Rockhurst students who believe the scoring record is not enough of an accomplishment for James to surpass Jordan. Junior Eli Rourke believes MJ still has the edge.

“I just don’t think LeBron is there right now,” Rourke said. “The record will help his case, but it’s just too early. I can admit that as a LeBron fan. It might change before it’s all said and done, though. We are all witnesses.”

But what makes a player the GOAT? Each fan uses their own unique criteria to weigh players against their counterparts. Because of this, the debate can get very subjective. For Yarbrough, the criteria is based mostly on the “eye test,” or who appears to be the more skilled player. On the other hand, Rourke measures players primarily off of accolades. These accolades can be unique to the individual player, such as MVP awards or statistical records. They can also be team achievements, such as NBA championships. 

James is currently 38 years old, one of the oldest players in the NBA. However, he is showing no signs of retirement. In a post game interview on Jan. 31, James said that he is “going to be in this league for at least a few more years.” In addition to this, James’s production is not declining. In fact, his scoring and rebounding numbers this season are actually above his career averages, at 30.2 and 8.5, respectively. Despite this, his Los Angeles Lakers are seated at 13th place in the Western Conference, which would leave them out of the playoffs, costing James an opportunity to add another ring to his collection and another accolade to his claim for the title of “The Greatest”.