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Whenever LeBron James is asked on the record about his legacy — and, more specifically, the GOAT debate between him and Michael Jordan — he tends to kind of brush it aside, while still sounding confident. He understands, ultimately it’s an eye of the beholder discussion.
That’s exactly how it played out when he sat down with Sean Gregory of TIME magazine for a cover story on the inaugural TIME 100 Sports, a list of who the magazine sees as the 100 most influential figures shaping the sports landscape around the globe. Of course, one of the conversations was about the GOAT debate.
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“I’m not taking nobody over me… There’s no question. But I think Mike will say the same thing. Rest his soul, Kobe will say the same thing. Magic will say the same thing. Bird will say the same thing. Shaq could say the same thing. The late great Wilt. Kareem. I don’t think none of us are going to take somebody else.
“If there’s a general manager and he’s eyeballing all of us on a baseline, with the No. 1 pick, it’s gonna be hard not to take me, champ.”
The challenge with the GOAT debate — aside from the issue that Jordan’s career has become mythologized by things like “The Last Dance” documentary, and some fans treat him like a basketball deity — is that it’s not just about statistics or skill sets or even championships. Influence on the perception of the game and on the global basketball market — shoe and apparel sales — all factor in.
LeBron gets that and understands Jordan’s influence.
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“You ask somebody that grew up in the Jordan era, they’re gonna say Jordan… You ask somebody who grew up in the LeBron era… they’re still gonna say Jordan… Listen, to each his own…
“I can tell you this. I never step my feet in another man’s shoes, saying, ‘OK, well, s***, I got to do better than him.’ My journey is my journey. I do what I do. I know what I’ve brought to the table. From a basketball standpoint, an inspiring standpoint, an influential standpoint, I know I can walk in any room.”
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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/lebron-james-goat-debate-gonna-183549749.html
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Publish date : 2026-06-10 18:35:00
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