I think I have a different perspective on things. I’d call him and Jordan roughly a wash. but a slight edge to Jordan. I have Russell and Abdul-Jabar over both of them, and I’m not 100% convinced LeBron > Magic. I know most people don’t agree.
Jordan only won during a certain span of his career where he had Pippen, a great supporting cast (55 game winners the season he missed) and Phil Jackson coaching. He achieved greatness, but it was basically just the same thing on repeat 6 times. His championships spanned just 8 years. At his peak, maybe Jordan is the best ever, but he decided to retire twice thinking he had “nothing left to prove” which I thought was pretty misguided. While he was an incredibly dominant player (and equal well marketed), he never overcame adversity like dragging s garbage team to the Finals...he is kind the ultimate front runner who never won without having a cakewalk. Also, he never had to face a super team in the Finals, so the 6-0 thing isn’t without context. And this is with all due respect to some very good (but not historic) teams like the aging 90 Lakers, Suns, Jazz, Sonics, etc. But maybe if he’d decided to play longer he would have faced the Shaq-Kobe Lakers. We’ll never know. He came into the league and couldn’t beat dynastic teams like the Celtics and Pistons, avoided the mid-90s Rockets, and bowed out before the Lakers emerged (would have been really juicy to see him face a Phil Jackson team.). He left as Jackson and Pippen were potentially departing though he was still in his prime. To me, that’s a giant red mark that he was afraid to potentially fail with new teammates or a new team, etc. He did have more to prove.
James is probably as good as Jordan, but he’s won three titles. Hard to be the GOAT of your sport when it’s largely measured my championships and you don’t even have the most of your era (Kobe 5, Duncan 5, Shaq 4). But part of this is a reflection of free agency and the salary cap, as well as often dragging terrible teams all the way to the Finals, so you can’t really knock his ability to win, and he’s won in so many types of supporting casts, cities, etc. However, bottom line is he’s had full control over his career and largely made the personnel decisions for his teams. 3 titles in, what, 16 years? That just isn’t a GOAT resume even if he’s shown the incredible adaptability that Jordan did not.
Russell won two NCAA titles before going to the Celtics and winning basically every year, 11 championships in 13 seasons (and I think he was injured in one of those losses.). He is a 5x MVP. Only knock is it was pre-expansion, but there’s virtually no way to surpass his domination. He was as complete a player as there was, incredibly clutch, and in some ways can’t be surpassed. He’s the pre-expansion GOAT (just like I have Brady the post-expansion GOAT and Graham the pre-expansion GOAT because the eras are just too different to compare.). 11 championships, 13 year championship window. Many teammates changing and super teams emerging. My father in-law is in his 70s and was a huge Lakers fan his whole life; told me the idea that Jordan > Russell is total BS and that if you actually were around for Russell, you’d realize what silly recency/marketing hype goes into that.
Abdul-Jabar is another guy who won in college too, with 3 straight titles coming into the NBA. Won 1 with the Bucks and then 5 with the Lakers. 6x MVP. His championship span lasted 18 seasons! And this was as the NBA transformed post-expansion. No one has been as consistently dominant for such a long period of time as Kareem. Many teammates, coaches, systems, different eras of basketball, and always playing at all-time great level.
Basically, I value longevity and playing through different eras and different competition, while maintaining greatness. Adjusting, overcoming, adapting, those are elements required to be the GOAT. That’s why Muhammad Ali is the GOAT, Tom Brady is the GOAT, and Babe Ruth is the GOAT.
1. Bill Russell (pre-expansion GOAT)
1. Kareem Abdul Jabar (post-expansion GOAT)
3. Michael Jordan
4/5. LeBron James/Magic Johnson (tie for now)
