Collecting Michael Jordan or LeBron James? Let's End the G.O.A.T. Debate
Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.
Or is Lebron James the greatest basketball player of all time?
Depending on your date of birth, you might not have either of those great players listed as your basketball G.O.A.T.
There is so much talk of Jordan or Lebron being considered the greatest of all time that many incredibly talented and impactful basketball players from the past that deserve to enter the chat are left in the queue, including icons such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant and more.
What's really been running through my mind over the recent days and weeks is the question why is it so important to determine the greatest?
Naturally, in any walk of life that includes such an insane level of dedication, physical competition and other worldly achievement, there will be a singular focus on the one that stands at the mountaintop followed by everyone else scratching to get there.
But when did it become so important to shout from the rooftops who is the greatest in real time or even decades later?
Iconic boxer and cultural phenomenon Muhammad Ali famously touted himself as the greatest, but generally speaking, that's not something that athletes go out of their way to note. There is a well circulated presser with Michael Jordan and when asked the greatest of all time question, he deferred to legends of the past and all but refused to throw his own name in the hat when, at that time, he was clearly in the conversation, if not at the forefront already.
Whether it was the talking heads on ESPN, FOX Sports, or countless sports platforms that made this debate a nearly hourly talking point, it has become exhausting. It's overkill. It's become cliché and quite honestly, boring. Can we just stop this played out debate and move on to something else?
This is a no-win situation. No matter what side on which you are entrenched, there is no stat, fact, or nugget that you could drop on someone on the opposing side to change their mind. Sadly, its very similar to our country's current political climate. Everyone is so dug in on their side and riding with their guy that nothing is going to change that, so at what point, as Eminem so eloquently said, why the f*** are you yellin' at air?
It's not that I don't understand why the sports networks and outlets continue this narrative because debate, drama, volume and craziness rule the day. This content brings more clicks, hits, eyeballs and attention than thoughtful, insightful, inclusive and commonsensical angles. But at some point enough is enough. How much further can we go with this debate? What can be said that hasn't already been said a thousand times?
My real question is, why can't we just appreciate and honor all players, not just the ballers we consider the greatest of all time? Why do we have to tear down, literally, the greatest players to ever lace them up in order to prop your favorite player up?
There was an interesting illustration I saw years ago that featured Kobe, Jordan and Lebron walking down the court with her arms draped around each other in a dreamlike, artistic created setting.
Let's do more of that.
Speaking in collectability terms, I doubt any Jordan fan would turn down a great deal on a high-end Lebron rookie, and I'm pretty sure Lebron fans wouldn't turn down one of the countless great Jordan cards that's been produced over the years. Any collector (at least I hope) would be happy to add a nice high end Kobe RC to their hoard.
Our collections reflect our tendencies and tastes, but I would imagine that many of us have multiple cards of Jordan, Lebron, Kobe, and any number of basketball royalty that's graced the court in the sport's incredible history. I know I do.
Call me a completest, but even as an enormous (I mean enormous) Jordan fan who is lucky enough to have a number of Jordan rookies and rookie era MJ pieces in my PC, if I showed you my collection you will still find a small number of Lebron rookies lined up in my Pelican cases, too. I am one of those cats that's firmly entrenched on my squad... and that's Team Jordan. That being said, I appreciate and respect the greats that came before MJ. Wilt Chamberlain is almost mythical. Bill Russell, an incredible winner no matter the circumstances. Julius Erving gracefully and forcefully entered the NBA lexicon and all-time annals. Jerry West, I mean, he's literally the NBA logo. Nothing but respect from me on all fronts.
Common sense isn't always the first word used to describe sports fans. As we all know, fan is short for fanatic and I'm right in the middle of that as much as anybody. But in my sports card collection, I try to encompass not only basketball but baseball and football and the other sport's great history. I like to have a representation of each great athlete. Being strictly a rookie card collector that's easier (and cheaper) said than done. I'm still trying to track down a nice 1961-62 Fleer Chamberlain rookie within my budgetary restraints. I'm still looking to add a beautiful Fleer Jerry West rookie from the same set and more to the collection, which is what makes this such a worthwhile pursuit.
With that being said, I totally understand some collectors are all in on certain player and player collections and I totally get it. I'm a part of plenty of social media groups that are strictly Jordan and I love every out of my price range scroll. If I can't persuade you to collect, let's at least stop the disrespect.
It's time to break away from the "either-or" narrative and enjoy, appreciate, honor and collect all the greats.
Tony Reid spent more than a decade covering combat sports at the highest level. He has written hundreds of articles and conducted hundreds of interviews about sports collectibles for such publications as Beckett, Sports Collectors Digest, and Sports Collectors Daily. Reid worked full time at a sports card shop in Central Pennsylvania for a number of years. A lifelong collector, Tony treasures his rookie card collection of star players in baseball, basketball, and football. If you want to discuss the greatness of Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson or Ken Griffey Jr., you can reach him at @tonyreidwrites on all social media platforms