NBA legend Isiah Thomas questions Michael Jordan’s GOAT status

The debate over the “Greatest of All-Time” (GOAT) in the National Basketball Association (NBA) continues to spark conversation, with fans and analysts divided over the merits of Chicago Bulls icon Michael Jordan and Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.

Naismith Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas recently reignited the discussion during an appearance on The Run It Back Show with DeMarcus Cousins and Chandler Parsons. Known for his long-time feud with Jordan, Thomas questioned how Jordan is still considered the GOAT when players like Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have redefined the game, and LeBron holds the majority of NBA records.

“This is what I don’t understand about your era, right? You guys are playing with arguably the greatest player to ever play. And excuse me when I say this, but you all treat him like he ain’t nothing. Instead of plugging your era up, you all go back and say, our era was the greatest. You know, Michael Jordan was the greatest. Nobody could ever be greater than Michael Jordan, right?,” Thomas said.

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“And then you turn around, but in your era, LeBron James is sitting there. He’s holding every single basketball record. I mean, every single one of them. And you’re looking at a Kevin Durant, and you’re looking at a Stephen Curry. But then when you all say who the greatest is, you all talk about the guy that gave you some shoes and some warm-ups.

Isiah doesn’t understand how people call MJ the GOAT when players like KD and Steph exist, and LeBron holds almost every major record.

“When you say who’s the greatest, y’all talk about the guy who gave yall some shoes and warmups”

(h/t @HeatCulture13)

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“Well, he’s going to make you change your mind on, or at least critically think about it, right? And I’m a historian of the game. And I’m not a hater. When I speak facts, people think it’s hate. But you can’t, in no sports category, when we talk about track, when we talk about tennis, when we talk about football, baseball, arguably the best players or athletes in those sports, they hold the world records.

“I know we talk about Jordan, but he leads in no statistical basketball category. But yet we say there’s an argument about him being the best. But then when you look at Kareem and you look at LeBron, those guys lead in several statistical categories. Yet we say somebody else is better.

“I’m just giving you the evidence, right? Here’s the evidence. And 15 years from now, when the next generation comes along, and they talk about how great LeBron James was and how great Kevin Durant was, and Steph Curry was, it won’t even be a conversation or a debate.

“Your generation right now is the only one. You all say we hating on you all, but you all hating on yourselves. Every time we ask you who your top 10 is, you list 10 guys from the 80s. You don’t list none of your guys.

“We knew what we had in Jordan, right? And we gave Jordan his flowers. We were all like, hey, this dude looks different than everybody. I hear you all talk about LeBron at 41, and your generation acts like, oh, man,” Thomas concluded.

Thomas’ outspoken comments are perhaps unsurprising given his history with Jordan. During their playing days, Thomas’ Detroit Pistons and Jordan’s Chicago Bulls were fierce rivals in the 1980s. The animosity continued years later, with Thomas criticizing Jordan on multiple occasions. Jordan himself referred to Thomas as an “assh***” in the Netflix documentary The Last Dance, a remark Thomas has not forgiven, stating he will not reconcile with the NBA icon without an apology.

While the GOAT debate is unlikely to reach a consensus anytime soon, Thomas’ perspective highlights an ongoing shift in how modern basketball achievements—statistical dominance, longevity, and versatility—factor into the conversation. As LeBron, Curry, Durant, and future stars continue to shape the game, the debate over who truly deserves the title of NBA’s greatest may ultimately rest less on nostalgia and more on measurable impact on the court.

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