| That is exactly what happened in a recent player poll by The Athletic, in which they asked 117 players to vote on who they thought was the G.O.A.T. |
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| Michael Jordan was first with 73% of the votes, then LeBron James (11.9%), Kobe Bryant (10.6%), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1.7%), and then Magic Johnson, Allen Iverson, and Kevin Durant coming in at 1%. |
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| Not only does it confirm the greatness of MJ, but it also shows how much Kobe is respected among players. Despite being the numbers, Bryant is only a little less than 1% behind LeBron, who many fans consider worlds above Kobe. |
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| While it is hard to compare and contrast careers, this is one argument that has been going on since the early days of the league. Since then, many players have built their case for consideration. |
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| But for LeBron especially, what happens these next few seasons will determine where he falls. By 2020, if he does not play his cards right, he could lose some serious ground in the GOAT conversation, even amongst his peers. No doubt, it will be an interesting time, to say the least, as LeBron tries to convince the world he is the best to ever do it. |
