The commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver has provided his two cents on the hotly contested “Greatest of All Time” debate between Michael Jordan and LeBron James – sparking a flurry of strong responses from angered fans.
On Wednesday, Silver was asked by content creator Eric “Eruption” Tai who he believes to be the GOAT of basketball. The 62-year-old hardly had to think before giving his answer, immediately replying: “Michael Jordan.”
Seemingly sensing the fierce backlash that his comment would likely receive, Silver added: “And don’t tell LeBron I said that,” which prompted a round of laughs.
After graduating from the University of Chicago, Silver accepted a job with the NBA in 1992 – around the same time as Jordan’s prime. While working for the league, he was provided an up-close look into the immense impact that the Chicago Bulls legend had on growing basketball’s worldwide fanbase during his first three-peat of NBA titles.
Yet Silver has also witnessed firsthand the decorated career of James. Since being unanimously appointed NBA commissioner in 2014, he’s watched the 39-year-old win two of his four NBA championships with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers in 2016 and 2020, respectively.
Taking to social media, droves of LeBron fans came to the star’s defense following Silver’s assertion. “Ok. It’s obvious you’ve been pulling the strings so he doesn’t catch up to your golden boy. David Stern was a better commissioner. Bron leaves the league and you out of a job lil bro,” one X user wrote, with another adding: “It’s obviously Lebron he doesn’t know ball.”
This isn’t the first time that Silver has heaped praise on Jordan. Last February, he commended the five-time MVP for rarely missing games in an attempt to not disappoint fans who came to watch him play.
“He felt an obligation to play every day,” Silver said while appearing on the ‘Dan Patrick Show.’
“He knew, not just for television audience, but he knew that every time he played, there were families, there were others who would save their money, potentially scalp the tickets in those days, as they called it to see Michael Jordan play.
“And I think he personally felt that; it weighed heavily on him. Maybe there were even times he played when doctors didn’t want him to play.”
This also isn’t the only time that an active NBA commissioner has weighed in on the GOAT debate. Back in 2009, David Stern – Silver’s predecessor – sided with LeBron, who was just coming off securing his first MVP award at the time.
“He hasn’t won anything yet but he may be the best player ever to descend to this planet,” Stern said on ‘The $ports Take.’
“It’s a delight to watch him; it’s a delight to watch him grow, to see his width and breadth in terms of his interest and capacities. He’s a great kid and a great player.
“He may be the best player ever to have played. Michael might dispute that, but he has a lot of canvas yet on which to paint. I have no doubt the picture is going to be beautiful.”
