“If LeBron had 6 rings, including a three-peat?… It would probably be 85-15 LeBron vs MJ” - Nick Wright says Kevin Durant’s life decision has determined the GOAT debate, says the debate is boring
LeBron James has had an illustrious NBA career so far. After 19 years in the league, the forward has won four championships and four MVP awards, among many other accolades.
The LA Lakers forward is considered one of the greatest to ever play basketball. However, he is not the greatest yet.
James is still chasing Michael Jordan and needs two more championships to be tied with the Chicago Bulls legend. Many NBA fans and analysts consider rings to be the best measurement of a player's success, and analyst Nick Wright disagrees with that.
Wright completely disagrees with "count the rings" part of the debate as it includes many other factors.
"This is why I find the 'count the rings' part of the GOAT debate so reductive and so boring. Because who is better, Michael Jordan or LeBron James? ... Something that should not factor into that debate at all is Kevin Durant's life decisions, but it ended up being maybe, for most people, the determining factor."
LeBron James' Finals record could have been better if it wasn't for Kevin Durant
Nick Wright said counting rings is pointless since it involves many more factors than just the performances of Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
He talked about Draymond Green, who recently said the Warriors wouldn't have beaten James' Cavaliers without Kevin Durant. The two teams met in the NBA Finals in 2017 and 2018, but the Warriors won both times.
"Draymond, who did play in these series, let's say he's correct that the Warriors would have lost to the Cavs in 2017 and 2018 without Kevin Durant," Wright said. "If that would have happened, LeBron would now be sitting here with six rings.
"And if LeBron had six rings, including a three-peat which Draymond's talking about, then it would probably be 85-15 LeBron versus MJ as far as who the GOAT is."
It's not all black-and-white as Wright presents it. After all, James won two championships with his super team in Miami.
James' 2016 playoff run was historic and definitely helps his GOAT case. However, as amazing as he is, most fans agree that he needs at least one more championship ring to be considered equal to Jordan.
Jordan is still the GOAT
Michael Jordan is still considered the greatest of all time, and surpassing him will be extremely difficult. His 6-0 record in the NBA Finals is impressive, and some of his scoring performances were mind-blowing.
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Michael Jordan: 80s, 90s, 00s
Only two players in NBA history scored 50+ points in three different decades: 👀🧐
▪️ Michael Jordan: 80s, 90s, 00s
▪️ LeBron James: 00s, 10s, 20s
GOATs. https://t.co/xaAkiXmNxC
Although Nick Wright is a huge fan of LeBron James, he agrees that the six-time NBA champion still has a huge lead over James.
"Instead, it's about 85-15 the other direction, because it's six rings to four instead of six rings to six," Wright said.
James will turn 38 in late December but has shown few signs of slowing down. He should have another great season, but it's questionable if his Lakers can improve over the summer and be competitive next year.