Dallas Basketball

LeBron James or Michael Jordan? Dallas Mavs’ Luka Doncic Makes GOAT Pick

Dallas Mavs superstar Luka Doncic is a big fan of both NBA legend Michael Jordan and current Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James … but only one can be dubbed the ‘greatest of all time.’

Dalton Trigg

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Although there will likely never be a definitive answer to the NBA’s Greatest of All-Time (GOAT) debate, that certainly won’t keep basketball fans worldwide from trying to make cases for their favorite players.

Legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain will always have their names thrown into the hat, but for the most part, former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan and current Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James are the two players that receive the most consideration for being basketball’s GOAT.

During a media session in Abu Dhabi, as the Dallas Mavericks are playing preseason games against the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of the NBA’s Global Games initiative, superstar Luka Doncic was asked who his GOAT is. His answer was short, sweet and to the point.

“MJ,” Doncic said. “It’s MJ.”

Michael Jordan and Luka Doncic share a moment at NBA All-Star Weekend in Cleveland during the 2021-22 season.
Michael Jordan and Luka Doncic share a moment at NBA All-Star Weekend in Cleveland during the 2021-22 season :: Kevin Mazur / Getty Images

Jordan and James are two of Doncic’s favorite players, and he obviously has to be a little biased given his current signature shoe deal with Jordan Brand, but it’s hard to argue with his answer. 

James’ longevity — especially when it comes to playing at an All-Star level — is unmatched, and he has four championships to go along with his title of being the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. However, Jordan won six championships in six trips to the NBA Finals, and he did so in just 15 seasons while also taking two years off to play baseball in the middle of his prime.

This is a debate that will rage on for many years to come, but Doncic appears to be confident in his pick. Maybe this won’t affect any potential Mavs free-agency recruiting efforts in the near future with James set to hit the open market after this season.

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Dalton Trigg
DALTON TRIGG

Dalton Trigg is the Editor-In-Chief for Dallas Basketball, as well as the Executive Editor overseeing Inside The Rockets, Inside The Spurs, All Knicks, and The Magic Insider. He is the founder and host for the Mavs Step Back Podcast, which is a proud part of the Blue Wire podcast network. Trigg graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Business and Economic Development with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship in 2016. After spending a few years with multiple Dallas Mavericks-related blogs, including SB Nation’s Mavs Moneyball, Trigg joined DallasBasketball.com as a staff writer in 2018 and never looked back. At the start of 2022, he was promoted to the EIC title he holds now. Through the years, Trigg has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Mavs GM Nico Harrison, now-retired legend Dirk Nowitzki and many other current/former players and team staffers. Many of those interviews and other articles by Trigg have been aggregated by other well-known sports media websites, such as Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and others. You can find Trigg on all major social media channels, but his most prevalent platform is on Twitter. Whether it’s posting links to his DBcom work, live-tweeting Mavs games or merely giving his opinions on things going on with Dallas and the rest of the NBA, the daily content never stops rolling. For any inquiries, please email Dalton@MavsStepBack.com.

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