LeBron James shrugs off GOAT debate with Michael Jordan, hopes he made MJ 'proud' wearing No. 23

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Over the course of his 23-year career, LeBron James has steadily climbed the ranks of the all-time greats and can look any of basketball's legends eye-to-eye with his list of accomplishments and accolades.

At this point, the debate over who is the Greatest of All Time is largely between James and Michael Jordan, with each player's staunchest supporters dug in on their side, unwilling to cede any ground.

Jordan has the six rings, five MVPs, 10 scoring titles, nine All-Defense selections and an influence and cultural cachet that's almost impossible to quantify, but undoubtedly impacts the conversation. James, who will try to push his Lakers to the second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs on Wednesday night, has longevity on his side with 21 All-NBA selections and climbed above Jordan in every major statistical category, including becoming the league's all-time leading scorer, while staying close behind with four rings and four MVPs.

It's a debate that's captivated basketball fans for at least a decade, if not longer -- further speaking to James' longevity -- but LeBron has rarely weighed in on it. That changed recently in a conversation with ESPN, where he went deep for the first time on the Jordan comparisons, while still brushing aside the GOAT debate as barbershop talk that he has little interest in fully participating in.

"I never have compared myself to MJ because our games are totally different," James said. "I have been a point-forward/forward-point my whole life. I have always looked for the pass. MJ kind of looked for the shot. Not kind of, he did. He looked for the shot. There are a lot of things where I would say my game is a lot different and a little better than his, but shit, he was f---ing great. We're both great. We're both great basketball players."

LeBron vs. MJ