Legendary Rapper Coined Phrase That Starts Most NBA, Sports Debates

Shandel Richardson | Oct 31, 2024

Jun 29, 2018; Chicago, IL, USA; Rapper LL Cool J is seen during a BIG3 3-on-3 basketball league game at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images / Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

The term is often used in sports debates, especially the NBA.

Which player is the G.O.A.T or greatest of all time? Is it Michael Jordan? LeBron James? Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?

The G.O.A.T became a popular word in these arguments the past several years but where did it come from? In 2000, legendary rapper LL Cool J released an album titled "G.O.A.T." It was to reference himself as the best rap artist ever. It wasn't the first time he used the word, but the beginning of it trickling into the sports world.

You can't have a sports debate without it being mentioned. Last month the rapper was asked about it by Metro. He said it was a mix of Muhammad Ali's famous "I Am The Greatest" quote and the nickname for playground legend Earl "The Goat" Manigault."

"To be able to touch the world through my art like that is pretty dope," the rapper said. "What it says to me is that I can do more creatively. It says to me, if I’m capable of creating terminology for the entire globe, I can do some big things."

For sports fans, it's hard to go a day without hearing the term. It's become part of the NBA.

"It’s pretty wild that it turned out how it did," he said. "I had no idea it was gonna become a worldwide phrase and statement." 

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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