Rich Paul says Michael Jordan is the GOAT, but LeBron James is the best player ever

Article excerpt

Rich Paul, LeBron James's longtime agent, drew a distinction between basketball's greatest player and its best: Michael Jordan is the GOAT, he said, but LeBron James is the best player ever. The distinction, likely splitting the difference between historical legacy and peak performance, reflects the ongoing debate among NBA stakeholders about how to rank the sport's all-time greats. Paul's comments, shared via social media, inject the voice of one of basketball's most powerful agents into a perennial conversation that has consumed fans and analysts for years.