Isiah Thomas is one of the NBA legends who often comes up with an interesting take on the never-ending Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James GOAT debate. Though many have accused him of throwing shade at MJ, Zeke remains firm with his stance on the topic – Bron is the one and only GOAT.
In an interview with Nasdaq earlier this year, Thomas was asked to pick between Jordan and James once again. As many may have expected, the Detroit Pistons legend picked the latter.
According to Thomas, it's easy to see why James should hold the title. He argued that just by simply looking at the all-time stats, people could already see why no other player is as great as LBJ.
"When I look at LeBron, and the numbers back it up, we have never ever seen a player like this," the two-time champion began . "There's never been a player in our league that has the most for points, second or third or fourth in rebounding, I looked the other night, hell, he's already passed me in assists, he's passed Magic Johnson in assists and he's getting ready to pass somebody else in assists."
"So, when you look at assists, rebounds, points and steals, we've never had a player rank in the Top five in every category," Thomas pointed out. "Now, we've had a player that dominate in scoring, we've had a player to dominate in rebounding, had a player to dominate in assists, we've never had a player to do all of them for 20 years."
As it stands, LeBron is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, but he isn't in the Top 5 in all five categories. He is currently 25th in all-time rebounds and isn't in the Top 25 in all-time blocks. However, James is fourth in all-time assists and sixth in all-time steals.
As it turns out, Thomas' statement wasn't accurate, but his point was clear and understood. For Zeke, it's understandable that people get persuaded by the compelling legacies of other great players, especially Jordan .
However, the retired point guard is certain that with the way James has been constantly dominating the league, time would come when there would be no debate at all, as his records, stats and feats would speak for themselves.
"When it's all said and done, it's going to be hard for people to look back ten years from now and say he wasn't the best because you can have your emotional best," Thomas once said of James in a separate discussion. "We have never seen this type of athlete, body, performance, consistency from a guy this long. We just haven't seen it."
James is heading into his 23rd season, now almost 41 years old. And while the numbers don't yet show much of a decline, it feels like LBJ could be approaching the finish line sooner rather than later.
That being said, Thomas could be right about LeBron's case for being the rightful NBA GOAT. As he continues to play at a high level, James is likely to pass more legends on the all-time lists and even break or set more records.
When that happens, it's quite intriguing what Thomas, among many others, would have to say about the GOAT debate. Either way, Bron sure does make those final chapters in his career look inhuman.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 8, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
