Last year, The Athletic unveiled the findings from its yearly Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James GOAT player poll. According to the results, 45.9 percent of the 133 players who participated in the survey picked Jordan as their GOAT of choice.
However, James was hot on his heels, garnering 42.1 percent of the votes, while the late Kobe Bryant collected 9.8 percent. Based on the figures, it was evident that LBJ is getting close to MJ, and a couple of anonymous current NBA players who voted for him explained why.
Advertisement
One player came up with arguably the most unique GOAT take ever raised. For him, James has proven throughout his career that he is the rightful title holder, and right next to him is neither Jordan nor Bryant, but Shaquille O’Neal.
“Who would I draft in an all-time draft?” the player said. “That’s the way I look at it, you know what I’m saying? Some people look at it like, ‘Who do I want taking the last shot?’ Blah, blah, blah, all this other sh–.Â
“But in an all-time draft, I’m choosing LeBron. Why? I get 20 years of greatness, and I get somebody who plays one through five (point guard through center). And let me just say, the person I choose No. 2 would be Shaq (O’Neal), the most dominant player of all time. So, in my GOAT debate, I would go 1-2 like that. And this is coming from a Kobe (Bryant) fan,” he added.
Advertisement
LeBron’s longevity made him the GOAT
One of the biggest takeaways from the player poll and comments is that many young players see James as the GOAT. This implies that some fresh perspectives about the debate are starting to emerge, like how the anonymous player named O’Neal, instead of Jordan, as the next top GOAT candidate after James.
Another anonymous player emphasized longevity as a reason why they think James is the greatest. For them, LeBron separated himself from other all-time greats not because of championships or MVP awards but because of his longstanding greatness.
Advertisement
“(LeBron) for sure,” another player said. “I think him being able to literally do everything and win (titles) with so many different organizations (the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Lakers) and also having the most points in his career, along with figuring out how to have longevity in his career. Everybody’s looking to have longevity, and he figured it out. He figured it out at the highest level. It doesn’t make any sense.”
LeBron is the modern-day GOAT
Jordan has already cemented his legacy as a staple GOAT candidate. However, it’s hard to deny that more and more modern-day NBA players and fans are being convinced that there’s no debate as James is the greatest player of all time.
Advertisement
In fact, NBA commissioner Adam Silver once jokingly picked Jordan over James as the GOAT. Still, he also believes that LeBron is the only player who has competed and won at such a high level for a very long time.
“I want to be absolutely clear. I am not prepared to talk about the post-LeBron era. And I don’t think it’s because I’m in denial… From my standpoint, LeBron is still playing at the very highest level in the league,” Silver said.
All told, it’s interesting to see what the next year’s NBA GOAT player poll will show. Will James finally beat Jordan? Or will another legend like O’Neal join the conversation? Let’s wait and find out.
Advertisement
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 24, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.