Since his playing days on the hardwood, Isiah Thomas has never been one to shy away from expressing his strong opinions.
Whether agreeing with the consensus or standing firmly against it, the two-time NBA champion has consistently spoken his mind without hesitation.
That same candor was on display most recently when Zeke clarified that considering Michael Jordan as not the greatest player of all time is a conclusion drawn from facts and reasoning and not an expression of bitterness or personal animosity towards the six-time Finals MVP.
Thomas explains why Jordan isn’t the GOAT of basketball
Across different sports, there are athletes whose greatness and accomplishments are rarely disputed. For instance, Michael Phelps in Swimming (winning 28 medals across five Olympics), Usain Bolt in track and field, or either Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi in soccer have all had historic records that place them at the top of the list in their respective sports – records that can never be broken by other athletes.
For Thomas, basketball is more nuanced. In his view, the case for MJ being the undisputed GOAT is not as airtight as many have made it. On one hand, Bill Russell has more championships than him, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has more MVP honors than Mike and the often mentioned 6-0 record in the NBA Finals alone is not a sufficiently convincing argument to settle the debate in Jordan’s favor.
So, Thomas recently stressed how sustained dominance and overall impact are what derive true GOAT contenders. So, be it LeBron James, who is the leading scorer in NBA history and is also amongst the top five athletes in different statistical lists, that alone shows his longevity and determination to stay at the top; as a result, for Thomas, such individuals deserve more recognition as the GOAT.
“I’m a historian of the game and I’m not a hater. When I speak facts, people think it’s hate. In no sports category, we track about track, tennis, football, baseball, arguably the best players or athletes in those sports, they hold the world records. I know we talk about Jordan, but he leads in no statistical basketball category, yet we argue about him being the best,” Thomas said during his appearance on the ‘Run It Back’ show.
“When you look at Kareem, when you look at LeBron, those guys lead in several statistical categories, yet we say somebody else is better,” he stated.
Is MJ being the GOAT a fiasco?
One has to agree that the significance of role branding and narrative building has played a huge role in shaping Jordan’s legacy. From global marketing campaigns to the enduring success of the Jordan brand, his image has become inseparable from basketball culture itself. That connection continues to resonate strongly with fans, particularly younger generations, who often inherit the GOAT label through storytelling as much as on-court evaluation.
While Thomas certainly has never, nor is, disputing that Jordan is among the greatest players the sport has ever seen, he believes decades of narrative-building have elevated MJ’s status in ways that sometimes overshadow objective comparisons.
So, true to form, he has not hesitated to challenge it openly and perhaps only wants everyone to understand the value of crediting the other athletes in the same race as well.