Why do old guys insist that Michael Jordan was the best when clearly Lebron has passed him?

Anyone arguing about who is the best basketball player is by definition an idiot. Basketball is a boring sport with ridiculous equipment and rules.

Some of those rules are no longer enforced since decades ago in an attempt to make it entertaining.

Other rules are used strategically to make the last minute of a game take an hour.

even older guys say Chamberlain would take either one on one.

Sigh.

LBJ defense nothing compared to MJ.
MJ built a dynasty in Chicago, LBJ hopped teams chasing championships.
MJ all about winning, LBJ more into himself and stats.

No one is as good as Bob Cousy.

The old heads think that if LBJ is better it somehow makes their era of basketball worse or it doesn't count or something. They are trying to relive their "prime" of watching basketball so nothing from the current era can be better than what they had.

You really had to see him play. LeBron is, indeed, an all-time great, and his playing at such a high level for so long is a marvel, but he's no Jordan.

Gotta go with MJ because....

More titles, more scoring titles. better on defense. More dominate in his day.

If that were true, then we would see the same thing in GOAT discussions for all the other sports. We don’t. A number of LeBron’s contemporaries from other sports have been widely recognized across generations as their sport’s GOAT: Brady, Phelps, Bolt, Biles, and the Big 3 in tennis.

Whoever moves the most shoes for NIKE is the bread winner.

Most other sports don't have anyone else in the running to debate about. Or they are in the sport that isn't cared about in the US. I don't know about you but I can't name the second best swimmer or gymnast.

Don't get the hate for LeBron. Dude is a stand up guy and role model. Great with fans, no gambling problems, no rape charges, etc.. He is an overall good guy and amazing player. He has literally lived up to the hype that was brought on to him at 16 years old.

Yeah, so he left Cleveland to get a ring. How dare him! Then came back and got them their championship.

Seriously? You’ve never heard of Mark Spitz and Nadia Comaneci?

Anyone that argues that LeBron is the GOAT is a complete idiot, and should not be allowed to talk about sports in general, let alone basketball. Death, taxes, and MJ as the greatest ever are the surest of sure things in life. I'm not so sure Lebron even cracks the top ten. Almost as sure as I am as MJ being the greatest ever, is my sureness that second best ever is Kobe. It's MJ #1, Kobe #2, and then the rest. Period.

Takes steroids and EPO, cheats on his wife all the time. Those like LeBron, who are overly obsessed with "reputation," generally have a lot of skeletons in their closet. They have crafted an image that circumvents reality. Sure he's done a lot of great things, and having talent and money has enabled some of that, but don't be so naive to believe he's some saintly figure who's more morally and ethically scrupulous than everyone.

It does not make sense. This argument is played out weekly on ESPN and is just one of many reasons for the networks decline. I am sick and tired of hearing g about it.

Jordan GOAT.

L Bron Hubbard

I know right! It's like they think that a guy who has more chips, more scoring titles, more DPOY awards, more season MVPs, more all defensive nods, more Finals MVPs and a higher per game scoring average is better thana guy who accumulated a lot of stats over a longer career. Weird how people think like that.

Same reason people still think Ryun is the American GOAT. Because they are old and it was cool when it was happening.