Alright, let’s set the scene… Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, fresh off of an okayish Sophomore season, sits down with the St. Brown brothers—Amon-Ra and Equanimeous—for a little friendly (or not-so-friendly) sports debate. Topic? The eternal GOAT discussion. Not the NFL… That would have taken a lot of different turns. But the NBA. And, as one would expect, it went exactly like every other argument, coming down to the expected bigwigs: Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
And right out of the gate, Puka didn’t hesitate to face the ‘Sun God.’ “So, LeBron’s the GOAT to you?” Amon-Ra asked, already gearing up for battle. “Yeah,” Puka responded, cool as ever.
Now, if you’re thinking, ‘Alright, where’s he going with this?’ just wait. Puka’s got his talking points locked and loaded. “He’s 6’8. He’s 260. He plays the 1 through 5.” Boom. The ultimate Swiss Army knife. The NFL equivalent? A player who can ace QB, edge rusher, and cornerback—basically unheard of. Amon-Ra, though, was simply not buying it. “He’s not playing the 5. He’s not guarding a center.”
Puka kept rolling. “He’s gone to three different organizations and won. Everywhere he goes, he’s had a new coach that he’s taken to the NBA Finals.”
However, that’s where the whole Jordan defense comes into the picture. Amon-Ra flipped the script like a typical MJ fan. “Coaches don’t matter that much in basketball.” And if you’ve ever heard a Jordan fan talk about why MJ is the GOAT, you already know where this is going.
“Who’s the only coach Michael Jordan won NBA championships with?” Puka asked. Amon-Ra didn’t flinch. “He had one coach. Phil Jackson.”
Checkmate? Not so fast.
“Coaches don’t matter? He played with other guys. And he wasn’t only in the NBA from ‘91 to ‘98. He played 15 years, bruh. Like, there’s a point where he was getting bounced in the first round,” Puka fired back.
And there it is. The B-word.
Michael Jordan getting bounced? That phrase carries weight. Because while everyone remembers the six rings, six Finals MVPs, two three-peats MJ stacked up, not enough people talk about the early years. But those were the years where Jordan was getting bounced in the first round by the Celtics.
The years where he had no answer for the Bad Boy Pistons. The years where, if we’re being honest, he struggled to get over the hump. I mean, the ‘bounced around in round one,’ thingy? Yeah, it happened thrice… Rather three consecutive seasons: 1985, 1986, and 1987.
Yet, let’s also not forget: After Jordan’s incredible 63-point performance in a 1986 playoff game against the Celtics, Larry famously said, “That wasn’t Michael Jordan out there. That was God disguised as Michael Jordan.” That’s as amazing as it could have gotten. Well, Puka would still agree to disagree it seems.
Having said that, who do you think is right here? Well, let’s dive in a little more…
LeBron James’ Longevity vs. Michael Jordan’s Perfection
And that’s where Puka starts hammering his point home.
“When Jordan was 21 and in college,” he said, “LeBron was carrying his team to the NBA Finals. In year four, carrying Ilgauskas to the NBA Finals.”
Which—let’s be real—is a crazy stat.
Statistically, MJ and King James have dominated in different ways. Jordan? A pure scorer—career 30.1 PPG in the regular season and an even crazier 33.4 PPG in the playoffs. Efficiency? His Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 27.9 is just second to Nikola Jokic.
Meanwhile, LeBron is the do-it-all machine. More total points, rebounds, and assists, with over 41,000 career points and counting. So, do you want peak dominance (MJ) or an ironman who’s rewritten the record books (LeBron)? Pick your poison.
Feb 6, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
And this is where Equanimeous chimed in to put the seal on the debate: “LeBron’s better. He (Amon-Ra) has nothing to say.”
But hold up—what about Kobe?
If we’re talking three-man GOAT debates, Kobe Bryant is always lurking. And it’s not just because he’s a five-time champion, a walking bucket, and an absolute assassin. It’s the mentality.
Kobe himself weighed in back in 2018: “We shouldn’t be tearing one guy down to lift another one up. Just appreciate greatness.”
Yet, here we are. Still arguing. Because sports debates? They don’t do peace treaties.
So, if we sum it up, then for Puka, it’s clear: longevity, versatility, and adaptability make LeBron the GOAT. For Amon-Ra, it’s about the killer instinct, the perfect Finals record, and the untouchable aura of MJ.
Meanwhile, for us? Well, the debate lives on.
But let’s be honest—this is never-ending. It’s like arguing whether Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes is the greatest QB of all time. You can throw stats, rings, and intangibles around all day, but at the end of the day? It’s about how you see the game.
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