“This man is one of the best, but he ain’t Jordan… We can finally put a pin in the garbage” - Aries Spears believes the GOAT debate has ended after LeBron James and the Lakers fail to make the playoffs
LeBron James and Michael Jordan are two of the greatest NBA players, but there is debate about who the GOAT is, although Aries Spears thinks the debate is over after the LA Lakers missed the playoffs.
The debate about who is the GOAT of basketball has a few different contenders, but most people believe it is either LeBron James or Michael Jordan.
Both basketball stars established themselves as the biggest names in the sport during their eras and are two of the most decorated players in NBA history.
While the debate will continue to rage on for many, American entertainer Aries Spears believes the GOAT debate is over after the LA Lakers failed to make the playoffs this season.
Spears spoke about why the debate is over during a recent interview on No Chill with Gilbert Arenas.
"I respect the man's game. He's nice, despite many of the things that I've said in poking fun, I respect him. You can't not respect him, and the man is one of the best, but he ain't Jordan. Jordan's the GOAT man. End of conversation. And this season right here, we can finally put a pin in that garbage. This season right here."
With the James' team failing to make the playoffs, many MJ supporters are using it to fuel their argument about why he is the GOAT and not LeBron.
Aries Spears believes that the 2021-22 season is a failure for LeBron James and his team, but James does not share that opinion.
LeBron James believes the Lakers' season was not a failure and compared with Michael Jordan.
LeBron James and the LA Lakers did not achieve their goals for the 2021-22 NBA season, but James was far more optimistic about how the season went and the team's future.
James spoke about his team's season during end-of-year interviews.
"It's not a failure at all ... the results just didn't happen for us."
LeBron James assesses the Lakers' season. https://t.co/Vdz77Nd26W
Not achieving results at the end of a career is not exclusive to James, as Michael Jordan also had failures at the end of his career.
While playing for the Washington Wizards at the end of his career, MJ failed to make the postseason in both seasons with the Wizards.
While neither of those Wizards' teams had the same talent level as the current Lakers, the results were the same.
LeBron James believes that he still has years left in his career, so he can still avoid having the same ending as his contemporaries, but starting to miss the playoffs is the first sign of failure before regression.
If James wants to improve his standing in the GOAT conversation, the LA Lakers will need to perform better in the 2022-23 season.