For nearly two decades, the NBA's GOAT debate has pitted LeBron James against Michael Jordan, with fans on each side ready to defend their pick to the last statistic.
Every so often, the late legend Kobe Bryant's name enters the conversation too, as plenty of supporters insist he belongs in the same breath. Now, former NBA player Iman Shumpert, who won a championship alongside James in Cleveland, has delivered his own verdict.
On a recent episode of the "Lou Young Show," Shumpert argued that the GOAT conversation has unfairly moved the goalposts when it comes to LBJ. In his view, James' later-career era is being treated as a disadvantage.
Shumpert insisted that neither Jordan nor James would be diminished by swapping eras. Both, he said, would still dominate. He went further, claiming that no player from the 1960s through today has truly been able to contain either of them the way opponents have contained Bryant.
"I can't continue to move this goalpost on LeBron. It's just not his fault he was born later. It's not his fault. You could put Michael Jordan in Bron's era. You could put Bron in Michael Jordan's era. Bron not tripping. Mike not tripping…"
"There's nothing from the 60s to the 2000s to now that could deal with Bron. Nothing we've ever seen can deal with Mike. We've seen plenty of people deal with Kobe… I'm saying Kobe didn't do what Mike and Bron do to you athletically," Shumpert said on the show.
Shumpert's words soon went viral on social media, and the reaction from NBA fans came quickly.
The initial reaction from many NBA fans suggested that Shumpert had hit the nail on the head with his argument.
"Shumpert right on the money," said one fan, whereas another one wrote, "I love this. Iman knows ball."
The "Black Mamba" entered the NBA in 1996 when he was drafted 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets but immediately traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
James joined the league in 2003 as the No. 1 overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers. It is because of that seven-year gap, the two legends faced each other 22 times in the regular season, with the King's teams holding a 16-6 edge.
Still, Bryant proved many times what he could do against James. For example, he scored 38 points in March 2006 , 35 points on December 25, 2009, and 34 points on February 15, 2007, among other big nights.
A fan pointed this out, reminding everyone that Bryant was far from contained when the two met, and that James was very much in the league during the Black Mamba's championship years.
"Acting like Bron wasn't in the league when my goat Kobe was winning back-to-back," said the fan , whereas another one wrote , "Still ain't seen another Kobe."
One user expressed their disagreement rather bluntly. They admitted that this was the first time they had heard a bad take from the former NBA champion.
"This is bro first bad take I've seen. I understand what he saying, but nah, there was nothing nobody could do with bean," the user said .
While Shumpert's comments found plenty of support, the disagreement also showed that the debate is far from settled. After all, when it comes to basketball's greatest player, fans rarely agree on just one name.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
