Lakers News: Hall Of Famer Believes This LA Champ Deserves More GOAT Consideration

Should this player enter GOAT conversation?

Discussions revolving around who is the greatest of all time in the NBA usually involve two players — Michael Jordan and LeBron James.

But could there be an argument that another player is actually the GOAT?

Former NBA Champion, four-time All-Star, and Hall of Famer Earl "The Pearl" Monroe explained why Kareem Abdul-Jabbar should be in that conversation.

Monroe spoke with Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson of Bovada Casino while promoting his basketball initiative in conjunction with his daughter, Maya Monroe.

"He has always been on top of things, he’s always been that guy as a go-to-guy. I really don’t understand it. He’s one of the BEST players ever to play this game."

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Earl Monroe, via Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson.

There certainly could be a case made for why Abdul-Jabbar is the GOAT. Already widely considered a top-five player all time, Abdul-Jabbar was a 19-time All-Star, six-time NBA champion, two-time NBA Finals MVP, a ten-time All-NBA first team, and five-time All-NB A defensive first team.

For almost forty years, Abdul-Jabbar was the NBA's all-time leading scorer and held the record for most all-star appearances, until LeBron James both those records over the last two years.

Beyond just his NBA achievements, Abdul-Jabbar is often named as the greatest player in college basketball history. While at UCLA, he was a three-time national champion and named the final four most outstanding player three times.

While it's unlikely Abdul-Jabbar will ever fully be put into the GOAT conversation the way James and Jordan are, Monroe's case is far from unreasonable.