One of the most common debates in NBA is “Who is the greatest basketball player of all time?” Some people think it’s Michael Jordan, some people think it’s LeBron James, and some people even think it’s Kobe Bryant. While these are all valid answers, the reality of ranking NBA players is purely subjective, and there will never be a “GOAT” of the game.

Debunking the NBA GOAT Debate

Criteria for the “GOAT”

NBA critics and analysts constantly try to rank the best NBA players of all time, and all lists are different. That is due to the criteria of the individual who is ranking these players. Some people value a player’s peak years more, while other people value a player’s longevity. Some people value accolades, while other people value statistics. With everybody having their own set of criteria for determining greatness, it makes the argument subjective rather than objective.

A player like LeBron has shown that he is one of the greatest athletes of all-time. He not only dominates the game, but has been doing it for 20 years. A player like Michael Jordan is known to have the greatest peak in sport history, winning six championships in an eight-year span. While either side can be properly argued for, the differences of when these players were in the league make for an invalid argument.

Different Eras

Every era of basketball had their greats. The 1960s had Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. The 1970s had Pete Maravich and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The 1980s had Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. The 1990s had Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon. The 2000s had Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson. The 2010s had LeBron James and Steph Curry. In the 2020s we are seeing a new wave of greats such as Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic.

With the game evolving the way it is, you can even see how the play style of these great players has changed over the years. The game of basketball has been changing ever since its creation. One of the reasons players from different eras can’t be compared is because the rules of basketball and the NBA has changed so much over the years.

Rule Changes

Regulations in the Paint

In the 1956-57 season, Russell won his first of 11 championships with the Boston Celtics. An incredible feat from an incredible player. However, what the casual NBA fan might now recognize is that the NBA only held eight total teams. Is it fair that Russell still has the most rings, when players now have to compete against 30 NBA teams?

Additionally in the 1960s, Chamberlain was so dominant that the league expanded the lane from 12 to 16 feet. His dominance was also the reason for other rule changes such as offensive goaltending. Chamberlain averaged 50.5 points and 25.7 rebounds per game in the 1961-62 season, to go along with his infamous 100-point game. However, this is another feat that doesn’t seem to be fair, as the rules that were implemented to the game are very different than the rules in the modern NBA.

These two great centers are forever legends in the NBA, but it is impossible to compare them to today’s players.

Three-Point Line

The birth of the American Basketball Association (ABA) was what popularized the three-point shot in 1967-68. However, it didn’t make its way into the NBA until the 1979-80 season, just a few years after the merging of the NBA and ABA. The installment of this shot gave shooters an incentive to shoot from deep.

The three-point line was 22 feet from the basket in the corners and 23.9 feet from the basket in all other spots around the arc.  However, with a lack of scoring around the league, the NBA moved the line to 22 feet everywhere for a brief time.

Aside from former NBA sharpshooter Kyle Korver‘s remarkable 2009-10 season, shooting 53.6% from beyond the arc, the two highest percentages in a season took place during the time the three-point line was moved up. The second and third spots belong to Steve Kerr and Tim Legler, and their seasons occurred when the line was at a shorter distance.

In Jordan’s 17 games played in the 1994-95 season after coming out of retirement, he shot an astounding 50% from deep. He continued this hot streak the following season, recording his best shooting season with a percentage of 42.7% from deep. However, when the line was reverted back to its original length in the 1997-98 season, Jordan struggled from distance with a percentage of 23.8. This does not discredit Jordan’s greatness or any other player from the 1990s, but rather shows how the fluctuation in shooting statistics during the 1990s makes it unfair to compare to the modern NBA.

Players like Curry have revolutionized shooting the basketball. In the 1997-98 NBA season, teams attempted just 13.2 three-pointers a game. In the 2021-22 NBA season, players attempted a league record of 35.2 shots from beyond the arc a game.

Defense

Before the 2001-02 NBA season, playing zone defense was prohibited. This prohibition made it easier for dominant offensive players to take over a game by scoring on their defender. In today’s game, if a player is dominating and a team goes into a zone defense, it makes it harder for a player to score the basketball because there is an exterior and interior layer of defense. Zone defense requires teams to work together as a team and pass the ball until they break down the defense for an open shot.

Now, players are not allowed to hand-check in the modern NBA, but they could prior to 2004-05. This is another defensive rule that changes how defense is played.  This gives a massive upper-hand to good ball-handlers such as Kyrie Irving and Curry. Eliminating hand-checking makes it harder to stay in front of a player.

Gather-Step

Over the years, rules pertaining to what players on offense are permitted to do has changed. In 2019, the NBA implemented the rule of the gather step, also known as the zero step. Here is what the NBA rulebook defines as the gather step.

A. For a player who receives a pass or gains possession of a loose ball, the gather is defined as the point where the player gains enough control of the ball to hold it, change hands, pass, shoot, or cradle it against his body.

B. For a player who is in control of the ball while dribbling, the gather is defined as the point where a player does any one of the following:

1. 1. Puts two hands on the ball, or otherwise permits the ball to come to rest, while he is in control of it;
   2. Puts a hand under the ball and brings it to a pause; or
   3. Otherwise gains enough control of the ball to hold it, change hands, pass, shoot, or cradle it against his body.

This rule changed the way that the game was played, as this allowed players to become much more crafty with how they use their steps. James Harden used this rule to his advantage as he implemented it into his step-back shot to create more space.

One of the other ways that Harden scored so many points was by getting to the free throw line. In the 2019-20 NBA season, Harden averaged 11.8 free-throw attempts per game. Many of the foul calls were due to him drawing the foul on a jump shot. This called for another rule change. In 2021, the NBA implemented a rule that banned what Harden and various other players were doing to score.

Foul-Baiting

The NBA stated that in the 2021-22 season, “there will be an interpretive change in the officiating of overt, abrupt or abnormal non-basketball moves by offensive players with the ball in an effort to draw fouls.”

Once again, these aren’t things that should take away from Harden’s legacy or discredit what he has done. This just shows how the game has changed so much over the years, that it isn’t plausible to compare different generations of play.

Different Styles of Play

Comparing a player or team of the 2020s to the 1990s is irrational. Due to all of the rule changes and progression of the game, it is not a fair comparison. The style of play prior to the 2000s era heavily relied on the big man. In fact, the 1990s Bulls were a rare exception to a successful team not having a star big man. The guard’s primary assignment would be to facilitate and distribute the ball to his teammates.

The 1980s Lakers relied on their one-two punch with Magic and Kareem for five championships. In the 1990s, one of the Bulls biggest threats were the Utah Jazz who had point guard John Stockton and big man Karl Malone. Another prime example of a pass-first guard and a dominant big-man prior to the 2000s era.

In today’s game, we see teams trying to stack as many superstars onto a roster as possible. The 2016 Warriors are an example of lineup of stars with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant. This team won back to back NBA Finals, before Kevin Durant joined the super-team Nets where he teamed up with Kyrie Irving and James Harden.

This was something that unheard of prior to the modern NBA era, as trades were far less common and players usually played for one or two teams.

We also see teams rely more on finesse and shooting, rather than the brute strength of the players from the past. Even the big-men of today’s NBA spread the floor like never before. We see guys like Embiid and Karl Anthony-Towns, shooting the ball better than some guards do.

Debunking the GOAT Debate

No Common Denominator

In math, you can’t add fractions together if there isn’t a common denominator. The same applies to basketball. It is impossible to compare players like LeBron James and Michael Jordan, because there were so many factors that effected how their careers panned out. With the difference in competition and rule changes, players of different eras had to face their own unique challenges that cannot be compared, because of the vast differences in the sport of basketball during their time.

So what would make a player the “GOAT?” Would it be Bill Russell due to his 11 NBA championships? Would it be Wilt Chamberlain due to his pure dominance on the court? Or could it be Michael Jordan because of his flawless 6-0 NBA Finals record?” Perhaps it could be LeBron for his remarkable longevity? These are all valid questions, and to be honest, any answer could be argued in favor of or against.

The NBA along with the game of basketball is going to continue to develop and change. Comparing players in 50 years to today’s players will be difficult to compare the same it is for comparing the players today to the players 5o years ago. Making these unreasonable comparisons are toxic to basketball culture and many times undermines a players greatness. By removing this pointless debate from basketball, fans will be able to open their eyes to appreciate today’s players along with the pioneers of the game, without discrediting anyone.