Who is the GOAT? NBA says MJ, not LeBronImage: Getty Images
LeBron James fans just have to admit. The charade is over. This flimsy argument is washed away. James is not the GOAT And who said that? Who settled this longstanding barbershop debate? Well, the NBA itself.
This week the league announced that it will be naming some of its most prestigious awards after greatness in its game:
The Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy – awarded to the best defensive player of the year. The Jerry West Trophy – Awarded to Clutch Player of the Year. The Wilt Chamberlain Trophy – awarded to Rookie of the Year. The John Havlicek Trophy – awarded to sixth man of the year. The George Mikan Trophy – Awarded to the best improved player of the year.
The biggest news, however, was that the Most Valuable Player of the League award would be named after Michael Jordan. MJ’s resume is ridiculous. He was 6-0 in the NBA Finals and was MVP in each. He won five regular-season MVPs and could easily have won more. Voters wanted to be fair and spread it. He won the scoring title 10 straight seasons. Looking at the stats, it’s hard to find a bad year, a non-MVP-worthy year in his career. It is so fitting, deserved by its lightness. The league left little leeway over who they think is the best player the league has ever had.
James’ minions quickly apologized that the league couldn’t name them after James because he was still playing and it would be awkward to award a trophy with a current player’s name. Nonsense. If the NBA honestly believed that James’ name belonged on that trophy, they could have waited and left it blank until they were ready to put James’ name on it.
There was no formal deadline or timeline that said the trophies had to be named this week. It’s all arbitrary. There’s no rhyme or reason. It’s especially a slap in the face considering James is set to overtake Kareem Abdul Jabbar as the all-time top scorer later this season.
Logically, NBA rulers could have said, let’s wait for the MVP trophy to be named. They could have told themselves James could win a few more championships and catch up with Jordan. He’ll likely lead in all offensive categories when he’s finished. Also, he will have the all-time record.
The NBA could not easily have painted this scenario and decided to wait for James’ greatness. Because once these trophies are named, it’s a done deal. You will not take anyone’s name. The NBA was smart about the naming now. It had a built-in excuse for why James wasn’t named: He’s still playing. It saves James the embarrassment of not being named after his career ends. And it saves league criticism from its lackeys, who will feel like James for all his accolades.
For now, James fans can accept the excuse that it couldn’t be named after James because he’s still active. But what they don’t realize is what accolade James’ name will bear. All the greats have been named. There is no room in the inn. So much so that even a former NBA player, Evan Turner, joked about LeBron’s dissing through the league. He tweeted a definitely LOL-worthy tweet.
“If we ever have a bubble championship again, this particular trophy should be named after him,” wrote Turner, the former No. 2 in the 2010 NBA draft.
James and the Lakers won the championship in 2020 while playing in Orlando in the NBA bubble.
Some may downplay the importance of Jordan getting the nod over James, but they’d all be wrong. It’s had such an impact on the sport that even some in the NHL are talking about renaming his MVP trophy from the Hart Memorial Trophy to the Wayne Gretzky Trophy. He is considered by many to be the greatest hockey player to ever don a shake. He is the equivalent of Jordan.
If the naming wasn’t important, a signal from the league confirming the belief that Jordan is the greatest to lace them up, there wouldn’t have been this reaction from other leagues. That sure is huge and monumental in NBA history. It wasn’t long ago that James declared himself a GOAT. The league saw things differently.
Case closed.
