Detroit Pistons Legend Weighs in on NBA GOAT Debate

Who did Pistons legend Isiah Thomas side with?

February 19, 2022; Cleveland, OH, USA; NBA great Isiah Thomas during the Slam Dunk Contest during the 2022 NBA All-Star Saturday Night at Rocket Mortgage Field House. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Having been in and around the NBA for multiple decades now, Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas has had the chance to be around numerous elite talents. Recently, the Hall of Fame guard decided to weigh in on one of the biggest debates among basketball fans and analysts.

As LeBron James nears the end of his career, the GOAT conversation between him and Michael Jordan has only come up more. While sitting down for an interview, Thomas decided to share his thoughts on the matter. Given all his statistical feats, the Pistons legend feels LeBron is the best player to ever grace an NBA court.

I mean, so when you talk about passing, scoring, rebounding, we've never had a player in the NBA that has touched every statistical category and leads in some of these statistical categories that we're talking about. There's never been another player like him. Now, everyone has their favorites, but if the numbers don't lie, the numbers don't lie. And he definitely passes the eye test. So to me, he's the best that I've ever seen from a team standpoint and also as a basketball player.

LeBron, who is fresh off winning his third gold medal with Team USA, has what seems like a never-ending list of achievements. When he does decide to hang it up for good, there is no denying he'll go down as one of the greatest to ever play the sport.

Given their history, it's not surprising to see Thomas side with LeBron over Jordan in this debate. The two were bitter rivals during their playing days, and there's the rumors that MJ is the reason Thomas wasn't selected to play on The Dream Team. Because of this, the longtime Pistons guard could be reluctant to crown MJ the GOAT.