"Jordan played far far shorter than the other guys... he played seven years lesser than Kareem and LeBron" - Nick Wright defends putting Michael Jordan behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James on his all-time list
NBA analyst Nick Wright recently released a controversial list of the Top 50 greatest basketball players of all time.
Wright placed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at No. 1, followed by LeBron James and Michael Jordan. He has several times defended his choice of placing Abdul-Jabbar at No. 1
The co-host of "The First Things First" believes that the GOAT debate should not just involve LeBron James and Michael Jordan. He emphasized that Abdul-Jabbar did enough in his career to be mentioned in the same breath as Jordan and James. On Colin Cowherd's podcast Wright said:
"When we're talking about the greatest ever, every bit matters. Jordan played far far shorter than the other guys, you can argue reached a higher peak if you want, but he played seven years lesser than Kareem and LeBron did, that has to matter.
LeBron's still playing at a high level, we have been told Colin that Michael Jordan averaging 20 points a game for a shitty Wizards team at the age of 40 is a badge of honor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar averaged 22PPG in the NBA Finals at age 40."
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played in the league for 20 years. LeBron has already completed 19 seasons and is looking as strong as ever. However, Michael Jordan played for only 14 years and took two breaks before he retired in 2003.
Going into more detail about the careers of the three greats, Wright said:
Michael Jordan's 1987-88 regular season highlights as one of 3 players in NBA history to win MVP & DPOY in a single season
#NBA
#BullsNation https://t.co/LMtXeWaTvn
"We go to when they first walked into the league, Kareem was the best player, LeBron was finishing Top 3 in MVP by year 2 and he was straight out of high school. And then its also like, 'Ohh what's the profile coming into the league?' I don't know like LeBron was the greatest prospect ever, Kareem was a franchise changer that took a 27-win team to 56 wins.
"Jordan took a 27-win team to 38 wins, they both had 27 wins before they got there and Jordan was a really good college player who went third in the draft, like hmm that's interesting. Was Kareem ever gonna go third in the draft, I don't think so, was LeBron ever gonna go third in the draft, I don't think so."
The oldest player to record
30 PTS — Dirk Nowitzki
40 PTS — Michael Jordan
50 PTS — Jamal Crawford
60 PTS — Kobe Bryant
10 REB — Robert Parish
15 REB — Dikembe Mutombo
10 AST — John Stockton
15 AST — John Stockton
Double-Double — Dikembe Mutombo
Triple-Double — Karl Malone https://t.co/1aaIHncwns
Is it fair to place Michael Jordan third on the list of the 50 greatest NBA players?
Undoubtedly, Michael Jordan was one of the most iconic players to ever grace the basketball court. However, the top two names on Nick Wright's list have also done enough to be considered in the GOAT debate.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar turns 74 today 🎈
The sky hook will forever be a signature move. https://t.co/qgMsrkP4XZ
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has a stacked resume and won everything in his glorious NBA career. LeBron James, on the other hand, is still striving to win a few more championships before he can call it quits.
LeBron James’ fadeaway package vs. Cavs last night was just as impressive as “the dunk.”
📸 - @BallySports https://t.co/zkWRMgELV5
A few more players could be added to the conversation as the years go by. But one thing that no one can take away from these three legends is the impact they have had on the game of basketball.
Considering all this, Nick Wright makes a good point but it is hard to fathom not having Jordan on top of the list.