The GOAT argument continues to be the most polarizing and opinion-provoking NBA debate.
There’s no one correct answer, so everyone has their own set of criteria. Where everyone is in agreement is that the standards for GOAT should be so high that 99 percent of the players who ever lace it up couldn’t come close to the number of accolades and championships needed.
Charles Barkley has never wavered in his feelings about ex-friend Michael Jordan as the undeniable GOAT.
Recently, Barkley doubled down on his comments from 2023, saying that he would slap the hell out of any media person who said LeBron James was the GOAT over Michael Jordan.
Barkley says LeBron has stacked his teams to shift the balance of power in the NBA in his favor. In addition, LeBron is 4-6 in Finals, whereas Jordan has never lost.
Then there’s people like 74-year-old wrestling legend Ric Flair, who says he has seen all the greats and LeBron is his GOAT.
Both of these opinions are based on emotion and perception, but not any concrete criteria.
Kendal Gill Says Six Rings, Five MVP Or Don’t Enter GOAT Conversation
The best criteria for GOAT might have come from 15-year NBA veteran Kendall Gill, who has kept the bar about as high as you can keep it, eliminating some popular choices from contention altogether.
Gill said that a player has to check two career-defining boxes to be considered the greatest of all time. He must win at least six NBA titles and five MVP honors.
That’s a lot of hardware. Standards so lofty in fact that the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, LeBron James, wouldn’t qualify.
“I’m in total disagreement with that and I tell people this: You gotta be in the 6-5 club to be even mentioned in the conversation of the greatest of all time and that’s at least six championships and at least five MVPs,” Gill told to TJ Sports USA. “It’s only three players that ever do that … That’s why LeBron can’t be in that conversation right now.”
LeBron Will Never Be GOAT
LeBron is still performing at a very high level, recently making his record 20th All-Star team, but the end is near and he’s well past his prime when he impacted the game at the highest levels, leading his team into the thick of the championship race. One more MVP and two more championships will be tough for 39-year-old LeBron at this stage in his career. He hasn’t won an MVP in 11 years and his current Lakers team is struggling to stay above .500.
“It’s always great to be considered an all-time leading scorer. Do I think it moves him up? No,” Gill, a college legend at Illinois and the 1999 NBA steals champion, insisted.
“LeBron can’t go much higher unless he wins more titles and gets a couple more MVPs. He can’t go much higher than he is. I just don’t see him doing that. I don’t think he’ll win another championship in L.A. I don’t think he’ll win another MVP.”
Kevin Durant recently threw his hat into the ring and challenged the greater public on his omission from GOAT conversations. Durant, who has an MVP, two NBA titles and two NBA Finals MVPs to go along with four scoring titles is considered a candidate for best forward in NBA history. He’s certainly one of the transformative, unique and historically impactful players, but Shannon Sharpe, Stephen A. and the “First Take” crew were quick to laugh him out of the building.
Who Would Qualify As GOAT Under Kendal Gill’s Standards?
Only three players in NBA history have won at least five MVPs and six World Championships. Bill Russell has five MVPs and 11 titles. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has six MVPs and six rings and MJ has six MVPs and six championships.
That leaves other legit GOAT candidates such as Magic Johnson (3 MVPs, 5 rings), Wilt Chamberlain (4 MVPs, 2 titles), Kobe Bryant (1 MVP, 5-2 in Finals, 2X Finals MVP), Steph Curry (2 MVPs, 4 rings), Larry Bird (3 consecutive MVPs, 2 Finals MVP, 3 titles) and James (4 MVPs, 4 rings) on the outside looking in.
This criterion covers individual and team accomplishments and encompasses the most important aspects of being considered great. Keeping the GOAT standards high and unattainable for 99 percent of the rest of the known world is important when labeling someone the best to ever do it. It would take less than one hand to even to count the number of such legends.
So instead of being offended when people push back on granting them GOAT status, players should bow down and thank the basketball gods that they are even in the conversation as the top 1 percent of the roughly 4,400 chosen ones who have ever laced up for an NBA game.
