Arguing who’s the NBA’s GOAT – specifically, arguing Jordan vs. LeBron – is one of sports fans’ greatest debates. Sporting News looks at the case for each, along with their place in NBA lore and culture.
You only need five minutes to define why the greatest basketball player of all time defined the Golden Age of the NBA in the 1990s.
Start with the opening monologue. Play the intro riff. Show the Peacock. Then, pan to Michael Jordan shooting jumpers in that white-on-white Chicago Bulls warmup suit. A few minutes later, watch the lights go out in the United Center. Listen to the first chords of “Sirius” by the Alan Parsons Project before the starting lineup was introduced.
“From North Carolina … at guard … 6-6 … Michael Jordan!”
“He was so telegenic,” Bob Costas told Sporting News. “He was so rewarding to watch. He was such a beautiful player to watch and he was with one team. So it’s Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Not LeBron James and the Cavs, the Heat, the Cavs again and the Lakers and sometimes with teams that he put together like he was in a pickup game.”
Jordan’s 6-0 record in the NBA Finals is the trump card when it comes to his case as the greatest basketball player of all time, but it’s more than that. It’s the collection of unforgettable moments he delivered in those six NBA Finals. It’s the Dream Team in the 1992 Summer Olympics. It’s the commercial appeal with Nike, Gatorade, McDonald’s and more. You can always make a case for LeBron James based on statistics and longevity. James is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer with 42,184 points and will play a 23rd season in 2025-26
The four most watched NBA Finals and six of the top 10 involved the Bulls with Jordan. The 1998 NBA Finals – Jordan’s last with Chicago – pulled in an average of 29 million viewers. This year’s NBA Finals between Indiana and Oklahoma City averaged 10.3 million viewers.
Costas was there. He led the “NBA on NBC” coverage during an era of NBA basketball defined by what he called a “constellation of stars.” Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls were the main attraction. Re-watch the intro before Game 5 of the 1993 Eastern Conference finals between the Bulls and Knicks.
Metallica. Marv Albert. Madison Square Garden. “Remember, Michael’s back …”
“Then you heard ‘Roundball Rock,'” Costas said. “People still tell me they watch some of those things on YouTube and get goosebumps all over again. Even younger people who weren’t there come to see it first hand, and they are like, ‘Wow.'”
Sam Smith – an NBA writer for Bulls.com who worked for the Chicago Tribune in the 1990s – wrote “The Jordan Rules” in 1991.
“It’s personal, it’s emotional and an almost arbitrary argument, but if you’re the greatest to me you have to as well as impact your sport at the highest level, impact society,” Smith told SN. “Jordan did that. The only ones who really have done that – sort of this Mount Rushmore thing – Babe Ruth in baseball, Ali, I don’t know, maybe Tiger. Maybe golf is not a sport on that level, but you know the people who everybody knows.”
Sports Illustrated’s Jack McCallum wrote “Dream Team: How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles and The Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever.” The title deserved to be that long. That was part of the impact Jordan made in society that still resonates with teenagers today. Jordan was the aura of the era when the NBA stood out most.
“He’s going to come out, and he’s going to try to dominate you no matter what you do, and there’s not a god-damn thing you can do to stop him,” McCallum told SN. “I wasn’t around LeBron enough to know whether he had that aura.”
DECOURCY: The case for LeBron James over Michael Jordan in NBA’s GOAT debate
NOH: Experts debate who had a greater cultural impact – Jordan or LeBron
Why Michael Jordan’s NBA six titles seals GOAT argument
Jordan won six NBA championships. He led the Bulls to three-peats in the NBA Finals from 1991-93 and 1996-98. No NBA team has won three consecutive championships since. This is the most cited statistic in the GOAT argument.
“It’s not just six,” Costas said. “It’s six-for-six. He’s the MVP of all of those series. In fairness, part of the reason the Celtics and Lakers don’t have more is each other. Or the Pistons or the overlap of the Sixers if you go back to the 80s. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened had Jordan not gone to go play baseball and if he had to face Olajuwon’s Rockets, especially once they had Drexler in ’95, in a Finals – or an older Shaq – like a Shaq-and-Kobe Laker team.”
Why do those six championships weigh more than anything else?
The NBA 75th Anniversary team was announced in 2021 – a list of 76 players because there was a tie in the voting for one of those spots. Let’s make it 77 by adding Denver’s Nikola Jokic – who has won three NBA MVP awards and an NBA championship in the last five years.
A total of 24 of those 77 players have reached the NBA Finals at least five times. We trimmed that list of 24 down to 14 players – the ones were named NBA MVP or NBA Finals MVP at least once. We included George Mikan – who played in an era where there was not a NBA MVP or NBA Finals MVP.
These 14 players could pass as the NBA’s all-time team. Here is a look at those 14 players, including their NBA Finals record, NBA Finals MVPs and regular-season MVPs.
| PLAYER | FINALS | W | L | PCT | FINALS MVP | REG MVP |
| Michael Jordan | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1.000 | 6 | 5 |
| George Mikan | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1.000 | 0* | 0 |
| Bill Russell | 12 | 11 | 1 | .917 | 0* | 5 |
| Bob Cousy | 7 | 6 | 1 | .857 | 0* | 1 |
| Tim Duncan | 6 | 5 | 1 | .833 | 3 | 2 |
| Kobe Bryant | 7 | 5 | 2 | .714 | 2 | 1 |
| Stephen Curry | 6 | 4 | 2 | .667 | 1 | 2 |
| Shaquille O’Neal | 6 | 4 | 2 | .667 | 3 | 1 |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 10 | 6 | 4 | .600 | 2 | 6 |
| Larry Bird | 5 | 3 | 2 | .600 | 2 | 3 |
| Magic Johnson | 9 | 5 | 4 | .556 | 3 | 3 |
| LeBron James | 10 | 4 | 6 | .400 | 4 | 4 |
| Wilt Chamberlain | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 | 1* | 4 |
| Jerry West | 9 | 1 | 8 | .111 | 1* | 0 |
* – NBA Finals MVP began in 1969
Boston center Bill Russell has more NBA championships, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has six championships and more regular-season MVPs with six. Mikan also is unbeaten with five rings. Jordan has more rings than Mikan, more regular-season MVPs than Russell and more NBA Finals MVPs than Abdul-Jabbar.
James has more appearances – but he has fewer MVPs, fewer NBA Finals MVPs and fewer championships. Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant and Steph Curry do not have six championships. It is an irrefutable and insurmountable argument.
James tried to downplay the idea of “ring culture” on his “Mind The Game” podcast on June 17.
“I don’t know why it’s discussed so much in our sport and why it’s the end-all-be-all of everything,” James said. “You tell me Allen Iverson, Charles Barkley, and Steve Nash weren’t f—— unbelievable? They can’t be talked about with these guys because they won rings?”
JORDAN VS. LEBRON: Key stats you need to know
Add Kevin Durant or Julius Erving – players with four NBA Finals appearances each – to that list. You can talk about those players, no doubt. They just aren’t in the same discussion as Jordan because of those six championships.
“Got there six times, finished six times, the best player six times, made the difference six times,” Smith said. “Not to say all these other guys are losers, but they couldn’t finish the job every time. If you wanted to do a tie-breaker, that to me is the most-significant tiebreaker – because he finished the job every time. Basically nobody other than Russell ever did that. Magic didn’t do it. Bird didn’t do it. Nobody did that.”
Jordan’s NBA Finals moments resonate
Sporting News released Jordan’s top 15 most iconic moments in 2020 while “The Last Dance” was airing. Seven of those moments took place during the NBA Finals.
“The Fist Pump” – Game 1, 1997 NBA Finals
“Father’s Day” – Game 6, 1996 NBA Finals
“Jordan hugs the Larry O’Brien Trophy” – Game 5, 1991 NBA Finals
“The Flu Game” – Game 5, 1997 NBA Finals
“A Spectacular Move” – Game 2, 1991 NBA Finals
“The Shrug” – Game 1, 1992 NBA Finals
“The Last Shot” – Game 6, 1998 NBA Finals
This is the greatest basketball album of all time. They’re emotional moments. We know where we were when we witnessed them. No player had that impact before or since.
McCallum had the baseline view when Jordan switched hands in mid-air in Game 2 against the Los Angeles Lakers on June 5, 1991, but he had the back-story before the game. The Lakers won 93-91 in Game 1 after Sam Perkins hit a 3-pointer and Jordan missed a jumper in the final seconds. Magic Johnson was looking for a sixth NBA championship at the time, and Jordan was still looking for that first championship. Despite all the swirling doubts, Jordan told McCalllum privately, “There is no way we lose this series.”
Jordan averaged 31.2 points, 11.4 assists and 6.6 rebounds in the five-game series. A week later, McCallum was near the locker when Jordan cradled the Larry O’Brien trophy celebrating his first NBA championship. That is the moment McCallum remembers most – when Jordan finally got past the Celtics, Pistons and Lakers.
“I’ve never seen an emotional release like that,” McCallum said. “It was almost like he was beside himself with joy and relief. I think it was only then I realized what this had put on him – this pressure of trying to win for seven years.”
Michael Jordan in NBA Finals
| YEAR | POINTS | REB | ASSISTS |
| 1991 | 31.2 | 6.6 | 11.4 |
| 1992 | 35.8 | 4.8 | 6.5 |
| 1993 | 41 | 8.5 | 6.3 |
| 1996 | 27.3 | 5.3 | 4.2 |
| 1997 | 32.3 | 7.0 | 6.0 |
| 1998 | 35.0 | 4.0 | 2.3 |
Once Jordan got control, he never released it until after the last memorable moment. Costas was on the call for Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals on June 14, 1998. Utah led 86-83 in the final minutes. It’s the greatest individual sequence in NBA Finals history.
“He scores off the inbound on a driving layup in like four or five seconds,” Costas said. “Then he comes up behind (Karl) Malone who is being guarded by (Dennis) Rodman, sneaks up behind him, steals the ball and never gives it up, brings it from the baseline into the front-court and takes the shot. That turns a one-point deficit into a one-point win. To me, if I had to pick one, that would be it, leaving aside the fact that coincidentally I happen to call it.”
The Bulls won 87-86. Jordan finished with 45 points.
“There’s a still picture that you may have seen,” Costas said. “Jordan has just released the shot and you see the Utah fans along the baseline behind the basket, and the look on some of their faces is of sheer dread. ‘Oh, no! .. Oh, no!'”
Smith picked the 1993 NBA Finals against Phoenix and the 1998 NBA Finals against Utah. Chicago clinched the NBA championship on the road in Game 6 both times (Jordan never played in a Finals Game 7). Smith recalled Jordan getting on the bus when the Bulls got off the bus and saying, “Welcome to Phoenix, world champions.” Jordan’s shot over Byron Russell against the Jazz in Game of the 1998 NBA Finals is the next core memory.
“Jordan always wanted the ball, always took it and finished and LeBron was just not that player,” Smith said. “In the general basketball lexicon, when you’re talking about a great player – Bird, Magic – who’s going to finish the game for you? That’s what it is. It’s kind of simplistic, but that was Jordan as much as anyone in the history of the game.”
Michael Jordan’s legacy will never diminish
McCallum recalled the scene in front of Jordan’s locker during the Bulls’ heyday in the 1990s. A group of 30-plus reporters had competition for Jordan’s attention. Jesse Jackson – a renowned Civil Rights activist – was on one side. Kid ‘n Play – the hip-hop duo and stars of “House Party” – a movie James later remade – were on the other side.
Everyone was lobbying for time with Jordan.
“Jordan is just dealing with all of this stuff,” McCallum said. “Then he goes out and gets 47 points. To me, there was this kind of – he was kind of grounded. He didn’t live in this ephemeral state. Magic always had a thing, well there’s Earvin and there’s Magic. They’re two different people. Jordan was always just Jordan.”
McCallum said he wrote a line at least 100 times, but it still holds up today: “What fascinated me with Jordan was he was always better than his hype. It didn’t matter what you said about the guy, he went out and he was better.” That impact lasts with the younger generation.
“It always astonishes me with the classes I teach how impactful Jordan still is,” McCallum said. “I try to get them to explain to me why that is, because it surprises me. They didn’t even see him live. They didn’t even see him with the Washington Wizards. The answer I usually get is two things – No. 1 he seems to exist on this mythical plain. This is something they’ve always heard about – almost like some Arthurian legend. No. 2 – he still has a corporate aspect to his name and his brand.”
That GOAT debate includes other players, but it has morphed into a debate with James for the greatest player ever. James’ supporters typically point to the stats and the longevity in an effort to close that two-ring gap with Jordan. McCallum recognizes James’ career accomplishments in that argument, even if he chooses the other side.
“To me, it comes down to who would you take?” McCallum said. “You can only take one of them, and it’s almost like an art over science decision – and I would take Jordan.”
What about the longevity argument? Take out 1985-86 – when Jordan broke his foot and missed 64 games – and 1994-95 – when he played in 17 games after coming back from retirement. Jordan missed just seven games in the other 11 seasons with the Bulls. He missed 22 games in two seasons with the Wizards. That’s 93 games in 13 seasons. James has missed 155 games in seven seasons with the Lakers and 77 games in the other 15 seasons with Cleveland and Miami.
James is the all-time scoring leader, but Jordan is the all-time leader in scoring titles.
“Jordan has 10 scoring titles,” Costas said. “Something that is worth mentioning is Jordan is averaging big numbers in a different era in the league. The last game when he scores 45 for the Bulls – the final score is 87-86. Think about the percentage of the points knowing he’s being double-teamed the entire time. You can make a very respectable statistical case for LeBron, but what I’ve always said is you could make a case that he’s equally excellent, but you can’t make a case that he’s anywhere near as great.”
Smith understands the nature of the debate – but that multi-generational impact between Jordan and James is not the same – at least not yet.
“He last played a game as Michael Jordan 27 years ago,” Smith said. “If you are in your mid-30s, basically, you never saw him play, but their entire sporting existence has been associated with LeBron James, who from 2003 on, that’s two decades, which is the longest sustained run at a high level, performance, going to the Finals as many as times as he did. That’s who you saw. It’s like rooting for your team. You stick with your team. I like the line they used in the ‘Seinfield’ show, ‘Rooting for laundry.'”
“Seinfield” captivated audiences and left a legacy on NBC in the 1990s, too, but it had competition with “ER” for the most watched show each year. When the “NBA on NBC” theme came on, you knew the main attraction. Jordan was the first – and last – player on the montage.
“I’ve said it 20 times publicly, but no little old lady has ever said, ‘I’m sorry Mildred, I can’t play bridge with you tonight because I have to watch LeBron,’ but a zillion old ladies like that who didn’t know a pick-and-roll from a back cut said that about Michael Jordan,” Costas said. “If you were casting a basketball drama and he was the first guy to work in the door, you’d stop the casting call.”
Now, all these years later, Jordan will return to the “NBA on NBC” as a special contributor. That will help ratings boost when it returns to NBC and Peacock in Ocober, 2025. Can we get Costas or Albert to do the intro?
“Remember, Michael’s back …”
“There’s always a recency bias in everything, but some players transcend that,” Costas said. “Jordan transcends it. Jordan has never not been present, whether it’s the sneakers, whether it’s the highlight reels, whether it’s the commercials, whether it’s the T-shirts or the Jordan jerseys that you still see people wearing today.”
