LeBron James, Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant? Legendary Lakers coach WEIGHS IN on GOAT debate

At the BasketballCon in the Philippines, Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy was asked about who he thinks is the GOAT of basketball.

LeBron James, Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant? Legendary Lakers coach WEIGHS IN on GOAT debate

From left to right: LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant (Image Via user generated content)

Choosing between LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant is an age-old debate that won’t stop anytime soon. Apart from just being all-time great players and winning on the court, the three legends have done so much for the game of basketball in terms of putting it on the world map, inspiring young kids to believe in their dreams, and being terrific role models for athletes and people in general.

At the BasketballCon event in Manila, Philippines, recently the Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy made an appearance and was asked about who he thinks the GOAT of basketball is and his answer featured Jordan, Bryant, and James. He said that “Michael Jordan is the godfather, Kobe Bryant is considered the prodigal son while LeBron James is the chosen one.” He then said that if all three were going up against each other, he doesn’t know who would win. A diplomatic answer from Handy, but the least controversial one making it a great choice.

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It is indeed the hardest question to answer when it comes to basketball, yet one that keeps popping up now and then. Talking about Bryant first, the Laker legend won 5 NBA Championships, the NBA MVP award in 2008, 2 finals MVP awards, a Slam Dunk trophy, 4 All-Star game MVP awards, and led the league in scoring twice. Bryant was known to be one of the toughest competitors to have ever graced a basketball court, always leading by example and playing the game with the utmost passion.

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When it comes to Jordan, words fall short. He won 6 NBA Championships, 5 NBA MVP awards, 6 finals MVP awards, the Defensive Player of the Year award, and 10 scoring titles. Jordan bought about a cultural revolution never seen before and even had a documentary made on his life called The Last Dance, which is one of the most popular series on Netflix to date.

And now for ‘The Chosen One’ LeBron James. Arguably the most polarizing figure in the history of basketball, he had the weight of the world on his head when he entered the league and was touted to be the one to take over the tag of the best to ever play the game of basketball. James didn’t disappoint one bit and has only gone on to prove his haters wrong.

Today, James is a 4-time NBA Champion, 4-time finals MVP, 1-time scoring champion, and the current leading scorer in the NBA with 38,652 points to his name. Safe to say that the GOAT debate is far from being closed.


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Brandon Miller has the most absurd answer when asked about who his GOAT is

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Brandon Miller was drafted as the number two pick overall in the 2023 NBA Draft (Image Via NBA.com)

Brandon Miller, who was drafted second overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2023 NBA draft, was asked about who his GOAT is in a media interview prior to the draft. His answer? Paul George. Miller stated that growing up, he used to watch a lot of PG13’s highlights and hence preferred him over LeBron James and Michael Jordan.

While his statement did take the internet by storm, it did offer a fresh perspective on the GOAT debate where people normally choose between James, Jordan, and Bryant.

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