Story by
Michael Jordan and LeBron James' takes on chasing records reveal a common stance on GOAT debate
- Story by
- Michael Jordan and LeBron James' takes on chasing records reveal a common stance on GOAT debate
There will probably never come a time when basketball fans and critics won't debate who is the greatest player of all time. This argument always brings up several big names, but two that stand out the most are Michael Jordan and LeBron James .
Personal preference aside, the GOAT topic almost always comes down to the numbers. If you ask any of the two players involved. Well, don't, because they've been asked before. And according to them, only one number matters — the number of titles.
Advertisement
MJ, Lebron agree on one thing
Jordan and James were of similar ages and had similar answers when discussing numbers and statistics.
In 2003, Jordan, then 40 and with the Washington Wizards , made it clear that he never cared about stats. The only important thing to him was winning.
"If I sit here and play for the stats, I would have never retired in '93, or I still probably be chasing Wilt Chamberlain's all-time you know or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar all-time scoring lead," Jordan said.
Advertisement
"I mean, that doesn't drive me. I mean it defines to some extent for people who don't know me, or 20 years from now would never know who Michael Jordan really is. But based on the stats, he must've been pretty decent. You know those are the only ways that I look at stats. Other than that, it's all about winning championships and winning. You know the stats that matter to me is games that we win and rings that you collect," he added.
Lebron, on the other hand, did catch Kareem and his scoring record, but that feat can probably be attributed more to his longevity than to his interest in having the most points. Or so he said in January four years ago, when he was still 2000 points away from the scoring title.
"I've never chased a record in my life. I've never said, 'OK, let me see if I can get this record, let me see if I can get that record,'" 37-year-old James said .
Advertisement
James kept the same attitude
Despite that comment, at the time, it felt somewhat inevitable that James would be the league's all-time leading scorer. And he was aware of it.
"As I've continued to climb the ranks, it is natural, human, to look at it and see where you are and see if it's even possible, see if you're capable," he admitted.
Advertisement
It turned out to be possible just a year later, when the King officially passed Kareem and became the number one scorer in NBA history. After scoring that point, he said, "It's never gotten my juices flowing."
"I'm there now because I never, ever thought about it. The only thing I ever thought about was winning championships, maybe a couple MVPs, maybe defensive player of the year. But scoring championships and records, I'm telling you, that was never on my mind," he added .
GOAT debates continues
The two greats share similar views about winning, but the debates surely won't stop. If we look at the number of titles won, Jordan has six, along with six Finals MVPs, while James has four, accompanied by four Finals MVPs.
Advertisement
Ultimately, that is what keeps the GOAT debate alive. Fans and analysts will always compare players, eras, styles and, of course, numbers. And there sure won't be any conclusion.
The only certain thing is that every player who hopes to be in the same conversation with Jordan and James should learn from their mentality and focus on just one number: the number of Larry O'Brien trophies they hold above their heads when everything is said and done.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jan 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
