Tone Miggins

Gilbert Arenas says Michael Jordan is not always No. 1 on his all-time NBA list. Sometimes he puts Kobe Bryant and LeBron James ahead of him. And he says he switches the top three around all the time. Asked for an NBA opinion that would get him in trouble, Arenas didn’t hesitate: “Putting Michael Jordan number two of all time.” He explains that growing up, Jordan was the standard. Then Kobe came along and changed how he viewed greatness. Arenas points to the fact that Kobe didn’t have the same physical advantages as some of the other greats, yet worked his way into the same conversation as Jordan. Then LeBron arrived. Arenas says he saw exactly what people had described: Magic Johnson’s playmaking combined with Michael Jordan’s scoring ability. And what impressed him most was the consistency. “There’s nobody who can say in the 24 years that they went into the season and he failed expectations that season.” He argues that even when championships become part of the debate, LeBron’s individual performances and consistency across those seasons deserve recognition. Arenas also points out that LeBron won MVP awards while Kobe, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Iverson, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Garnett were competing at the highest level. His bigger issue is how fans approach the GOAT debate. “We defend the one we love and we target the one we don’t like.” Instead of appreciating what Jordan, Kobe and LeBron each brought to the game, fans turn the conversation into a fight over whose legacy deserves to be protected. For Arenas, all three have a case. That’s why he keeps switching the order. So where do you rank them: Jordan, Kobe and LeBron?