Hollywood actor Jamie Foxx agrees with Doc Rivers' verdict on LeBron James & Michael Jordan debate
The LeBron James & Michael Jordan GOAT debate has been something NBA fans around the league have been debating for years. From the time James won his first ring with the Miami Heat, fans have gone back and forth debating about the greatest. The debate has seen many fans, analysts and even other players take sides, with famed actor Jamie Foxx now weighing in.
Some feel as though it's Jordan's two-way play and undefeated record in six NBA Finals appearances that gives him the edge. Others, though, argue that James' longevity is the X-factor that should give him the edge in the greatest of all time debate.
This week, a clip of Hall of Famer Doc Rivers discussing the topic began to circulate on social media. As Rivers explained in the clip, there was a tremendous amount of hype surrounding James before he joined the NBA.
The way he sees things, LeBron James was never given a chance to grow into his greatness because of the hype on him in high school. On the flip side, Michael Jordan wasn't viewed as a generational talent before entering the NBA, which gave him time to develop.
In the comments section of the video, famous actor, musician and comedian Jamie Foxx backed Rivers' take:
"Preach"
Looking at the subjectiveness behind the LeBron James & Michael Jordan GOAT debate
As we've seen in recent years around the time of the NBA draft, the title of greatest player of all time seems to be subjective. While many consider the race to be a tight one between LeBron James & Michael Jordan, many young rookies joining the NBA see things differently.
For example, Charlotte Hornets standout Brandon Miller once infamously named Paul George as his GOAT, leaving many NBA fans stunned. Nevertheless, Kiyan Anthony echoed a similar sentiment this year as well.
The situation highlighted the fact that fans of the game from different generations view the topic of the GOAT differently. While a fan who watched the game in the 60s or 70s may be confident that Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain is the GOAT, a fan from the 2000s may give the title to LeBron James.
In one instance, these two eras and viewpoints collided, at the 1996 NBA 50th Anniversary Team meeting, where Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain crossed paths. According to the late great Bill Walton, the pair sat in the corner of the room arguing their cases for the title of greatest of all time.
According to Walton, who was in the room, and spoke about the moment in the video below:
"David (Stern) finally says, ‘Come on, Wilt, Michael, we got to get going’. So they stand up, the conversation ends.
"And ... Wilt looked down at Michael and said, ‘Michael, just remember - when you played, they changed all the rules to make it easier for you to dominate. When I played, they changed all the rules to make it harder for me’. And there was no retort, no comeback. Wilt Chamberlain, oh my gosh.”
As we can see from this example, not only is the debate one that has been argued among fans, but even Hall of Famers.
Perhaps when the NBA 100th Anniversary team gets together in 2046 and LeBron James & Michael Jordan attend, the two legends will argue their cases with one another for the title of GOAT.