Even after being widely considered the greatest basketball player to ever lace a shoe, Michael Jordan likes to separate himself from the nonstop discussion and debates to focus on the next generation of the game.

In the newest MJ: Insights to Excellence, Jordan broke his silence about the GOAT debate and offered insightful sentiments to NBC's Mike Tirico about today's players.

"The GOAT term is never going to be something that I will ever get high or low about. It just doesn't exist with me," Jordan confessed. "I never played against Oscar Robertson or Jerry West. I would have loved to—absolutely love to. Just a competitor that I am, and I actually learned from them."

"We paved the road to the Kobes and the LeBrons. To me, that's the beauty of the game of basketball: a player after a previous player has evolved the game further." Jordan added.

Almost every fan would agree that Jordan is the most iconic player to ever grace the hardwood in NBA history. From his worldwide popularity to industry-changing Air Jordans, when you think of basketball, you think of Michael Jordan.

While that is only a single aspect of the GOAT debate, Jordan defined the 90s basketball, winning six rings and going back-to-back-to-back twice with the Chicago Bulls.

His individual accolades are countless, famously winning five MVPs and six Finals MVP awards in his career.

But at the end of the day, Jordan refuses to give importance to the debate and is more concerned with how the game could be paved forward from one generation to another than dwelling too much on the GOAT talks.

While the likes of Steph Curry, Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird will always be in the running for this conversation, the two names that always come down to are Michael Jordan and LeBron James.

And just like Jordan, King James also refuses to provide any input on the supposed GOAT debate, solely due to just how different the two legends' games are.

LeBron James Has Never Compared Himself to Michael Jordan

While the GOAT debate might never truly be settled, LeBron James has talked about the impact Jordan has had on his career and revealed that he never compared himself to MJ due to how different their playstyles are.

"I hope I made him proud at least, wearing that No. 23," James told ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

"I never have compared myself to MJ because our games are totally different, have been a point-forward/forward-point my whole life, I have always looked for the pass. MJ kind of looked for the shot. Not kind of, he did. He looked for the shot." James added.

James has primarily played as a small forward throughout his career, with the occasional shifts to power forward and center whenever his team needed it. The 41-year-old has used his size and strength perfectly to cover almost the whole frontcourt and backcourt single-handedly at times.

While James has surpassed Jordan in the majority of the statistics, it is also because the Lakers star has been in the league longer than anyone else.

But in the end, the debate always comes down to titles, and Jordan winning six, along with six FMVPs, really solidifies his GOAT case, compared to James' four wins in ten finals.

The basketball world will never stop debating the GOAT basketball player, but for Jordan and James, it is nothing short of barbershop talk.

So, who do you consider the GOAT between Michael Jordan and LeBron James? Or do you fancy some other star entirely? Let us know in the comments.

Read more at the Air Jordan Chronicles!

Written by

Joy Bassy

Edited by

Joy Bassy