(Photo Credit: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
It’s perhaps the biggest battle in NBA history, that is, the ongoing fight to be named the highly coveted title of GOAT – the Greatest of All Time. Now, for some, the obvious winner is, of course, Michael Jordan. As possibly the sport’s most internationally famous player, and with his ten scoring titles, five MVP titles and six championships under his belt there is a rather compelling argument to why Jordon should be considered The GOAT.
That is, unless you’re Steph Curry. The Warriors player has recently commented that he feels he will top Jordan to become the unofficial GOAT. Indeed, it’s only a matter of time revealed Curry in an interview with ESPN. The NBA’s reining MVP commented that, when asked if he was competing against Jordan for The GOAT title, “Why else would I be playing? You want to be the best you can be.”
The problem for Curry though, is that mountain to the title of The GOAT is a very tough climb. Especially when there are so many better established superstars along the way. Yes, Curry has played his last two years of basketball akin to Jordan at his peak, but is that really enough to surpass the people’s favorite? Not only would Curry be competing against everyone’s unofficial GOAT Michael Jordan, but you must also consider players such as Bill Russell, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as worthy contenders too. Then there’s LeBron James who, with a few more titles, could just as easily be considered worthy as The GOAT as Curry.
Various surveys have popped up online trying to use public votes to predict the outcome of The GOAT, but these surveys are little more than popularity contests between fans. The main problem with these surveys is that they cannot properly distinguish between the different styles and merits of various players. Michael Jordan might be the greatest shooter of all time with his 30.1 game scoring average, but was he the greatest overall NBA player ever? When you consider facts like his inability to get the Washington Bullets to the playoffs it makes you think again. True he was older and past his peak performance, yet you have to think the world’s greatest NBA player would still have been able to take the team further regardless of age. But, if not the world-famous Michael Jordan, who could possibly take the title?
In reality there will never be an official GOAT as it is far too difficult to nail down one player who can, overall, be considered the greatest NBA player ever. Instead Jordan will always be the unofficial GOAT who will stand as motivation for current stars, such as Curry, to play harder, better and faster in their attempts to outshine the brand that is Michael Jordan.
