NBA Legend Jerry West Believes The G.O.A.T. Conversation Is The Worst Debate Ever

Jerry West points to the “different eras” as why he’ll never entertain the discussion

It’s time to realize the G.O.A.T. conversation is going to keep growing.

When LeBron James joined the Miami Heat and won back-to-back championships, he cemented himself into the debate next to Michael Jordan. But now, Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo and recent champion Nikola Jokic have entered the conversation.

On a recent episode of Paul George’s Podcast P With Paul George, NBA legend Jerry West gave his take on the debate and it’s one a lot of basketball pundits have echoed throughout the years.

"There's a lot of smelly 🐐s around."

Jerry West is not messing with the GOAT debate 😅 pic.twitter.com/LO3e5JRAKD

— Podcast P with Paul George (@PodcastPShow) June 16, 2023

“Guys, this is the most ridiculous conversation you’ll ever have,” West said. “This is the thing that drives me crazy. There’s different eras, different changes. Athletes today, their athletic ability should be better. They should be better shooters and you know they’re going to handle the ball and the coaches want to kill half of them from handling the ball.”

The main trait that made Jordan so great was the ability to score at a higher level than anyone else. He also had an unusual desire to win at any cost, even playing through serious injuries. When he retired, fans pointed to Kobe Bryant as the closest thing to Jordan. Now, with the NBA becoming a score-first league, there’s a handful of players who can get hot any night.

“But face it, they’re copycats and so some of them with enormous skill can go do these things, looks very natural,” West said. “You put the other guy who got the same kind of skill, he’ll look like he’s trying to mimic the great guy. And I don’t buy into this G.O.A.T. stuff. My god. There’s a lot of smelly goats around. I know that.”

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.