Michael Jordan’s Dominant Run Might Keep Him Ahead Of LeBron James In The G.O.A.T. Debate

Jason Timpf of Hoops Tonight says LeBron James’ dominance only lasted when he played for the Miami Heat

After years of calling Michael Jordan the undisputed G.O.A.T., it seems some NBA pundits have given LeBron James the edge.

But not everybody.

In a recent episode of Hoops Tonight, Jason Timpf said the span of dominance Jordan displayed compared to James is why he’s still the G.O.A.T.

“Here the reality, MJ won six championships in eight years,” Timpf said. “No player in the history of basketball has dominated the league the way he did during the 90s. He was so much better than everybody that it was insulting to even throw another name in the conversation alongside Michael Jordan. That’s how much better he was than everybody else. It was Michael Jordan on the top tier of stars, a gap, and then everyone else. LeBron had a brief stretch like that. I’d argue in like 2012, 2013 and 2014. That little two, three year window, LeBron was unassailably the best player in the world and there was clearly a gap between him and everyone else. But that gap closed. Guys like Kevin Durant and Steph Curry caught up with him. I personally think LeBron was definitely the best player in the league from 2012 to 2020. But that 2014, 2015 to 2020 stretch, it was close. You weren’t saying LeBron was in a tier by himself. It was LeBron, Steph, KD. Whatever you wanted to look at there, he was on the same level as those guys but probably a little bit better. It was a different level of dominance compared to what MJ did in the 90s.”

"No player in the history of basketball has dominated the league the way he did"

—@_JasonLT explains why his GOAT is still Michael Jordan pic.twitter.com/RnMUot4o8j

— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) August 31, 2023

Just like Jordan, James lived up to the expectations when drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the first overall pick. But it wasn’t until his ninth year when he started to dominate. Sure, he led the NBA in scoring during the 2007-08 season but the Cavaliers’ lack of winning overshadowed it.

Once he joined the Miami Heat, he was unstoppable. He averaged 26 points, including a career and franchise-high 61 points against the Charlotte Bobcats on Mar. 3, 2014. He led them to four playoff appearances from 2010-2014 and back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013. While doing so, they even went on a 27-game win streak.

When he rejoined the Cavaliers, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry started blossoming into stardom. Still, James is arguably one of the most dominant players of all-time.

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Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog HERE.