The other day I posted a tweet, which was a video of Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss proclaiming that Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan is the GOAT (greatest of all time), in promotion for the upcoming NBA 2K23 video game where MJ graces the cover once again such as the legendary 2K12 edition.
Lakers owner Jeanie Buss calls Jordan the GOAT 👀 pic.twitter.com/OFQr43t6j1
— FootBasket™.com (@Foot_Basket) August 12, 2022
Although she is the Lakers owner and has GOAT-like legends in her own franchise, I was not expecting the comments to be really controversial. But, you can't underestimate Lakers fans.
The tweet started blowing up, and it was even referenced in Larry Brown Sports and Sports Illustrated.
Russell Westbrook had taken notice too, based on his liked tweet he later unliked below:
It's very interesting because what Buss had said is not necessarily controversial. She has seen MJ beat her Lakers in the Finals back in 1991, and Jordan is still regarded as the GOAT by the majority of NBA basketball fans.
There have been cases made in the past for guys like Kobe Bryant, but mostly by just diehard Kobe and Lakers fans. Bryant, as great as he is, his legacy does stack up to Jordan's enough to beat him.
Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have made great cases to be the GOAT as well, but it hasn't been as settled as it was with Jordan's case. The same goes for Shaquille O'Neal, who is on the fringe discussions or the GOAT case.
We also can't forget about Wilt Chamberlain either, who is considered one of the original GOATs of the NBA. However, it's safe to say the players I have mentioned so far are at least in the top 10 or 15 all-time in NBA history.
Among the Lakers greats, the one who currently has the best case versus Jordan is current star LeBron James, and it looks like that's where most of the controversy regarding Buss's statements is coming from.
I am surprised by that, to say the least, since I've seen a lot of Lakers fans prop up others more than LeBron. We also can't forget that most of them were diehard LeBron haters prior to him joining the Lakers as well.
But I respect it. As a huge LeBron fan, I believe he is the closest to the GOAT discussion other than Jordan. With two more rings, it's definitely going to be hard to argue that he isn't the greatest of all time.
However, I have no problem saying Jordan is still the GOAT. Even when we go down to individual achievements, MJ still has more regular season and Finals MVPs than LeBron, as well as a Defensive Player of the Year award.
But it doesn't mean that LeBron can still overtake the top spot. Despite that, these types of discussions are also a waste of time.
Let's just keep it simple Jordan and LeBron are 1A and 1B in the rankings. To me, you really cannot go wrong with either. They are both the GOATs.
But, I agree with the sentiment with Lakers fans having an issue with Buss's comments. She could have at least declined to be a part of this promotional video, as it should have been reasonably foreseeable that controversy would ensue.
Stephen A. Smith thinks (from the tweet Westbrook liked) thinks it was a bad move on Buss's part since there is a contract feud with LeBron. James already considers himself the GOAT, so her comments for NBA 2K23 may have been a bad move.
I guess we will see how this transpires. LeBron is a professional though, so he won't publicly acknowledge the comments and whether or not they affect him.
But if he wins another ring for Jeanie this season, she may have to reconsider her GOAT stance.
Oh, by the way, NBA 2K23 releases on September 8.
