An evergreen question with no real answer — who is the GOAT of basketball? Aka the greatest of all time? The simple question has sparked endless debates among generations of hoop fans. Some say Michael Jordan; others, LeBron James. And then there are usually wild answers in between.
The off-the-cuff nature of the question doesn't allow for any scholarly research. There are no right or wrong answers, really — it all boils down to preference. Because of that, the scientific method is unusable for a consensus. But that didn't stop HoopsHype.
The NBA-loving website conjured up some data on who the NBA GOAT is. The staff recorded former/active NBA players' responses from the last four years.
Because players in the league today grew up in the social
media age, their answers are much more tangible and easier to find. Whether in a social media post, video or podcast appearance. And because retired players have ample free time, it allows them to hop on platforms and reminisce about their playing days and talk about other subjects like this.
They found 112 answers from the last four years. It shouldn't be a shocker, but Jordan and James are pretty neck and neck. James led the way with 49 votes — good enough for 43.8%. Meanwhile, Jordan had 46 votes — totaling up to 41.1%. Nine other players received shoutouts, but they all had minuscule slices of the pie.
One — funny enough — was Paul George. Yep, you read that right. He received a single vote — which made up 0.9% of the data. Only 11 all-time players even received a vote. He was one of them. That's a little surprising, to say the least.
Look, I don't want to diss George and his Hall-of-Fame career. He's one of the era-defining NBA All-Stars of the 2010s and 2020s. But I think it's nearly impossible to say he's anywhere near the GOAT conversation. That said, there's no denying his influence over the recent generation of hoopers.
Perhaps George's sole voter was influenced by his playstyle. He's widely viewed as having one of the most aesthetically pleasing scoring bags to watch. His combination of size, handle and feel has helped turn him into one of the top small forwards for over a decade. You can watch his highlights for hours and never get tired of them.
That said, George just doesn't have a strong enough resume to build up a plausible GOAT case. He's a nine-time All-Star but has only made an All-NBA First Team once. His highest MVP finish was third place in 2018-19. And despite his stellar career, most will remember him for being on the wrong end of the most lopsided trade in NBA history.
All that acknowledged, it's cool to see George get some love for his contributions to the game. He played two seasons for the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2017-19. Even though his brief time resulted in zero playoff series wins, he provided hope and excitement for the fanbase. And eventually, his decision to re-sign helped them land Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and at least one NBA championship so far.
Per our research, over 100 NBA players have made their GOAT pick public in the last four years.
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) September 4, 2026
Neither MJ nor LeBron garnered 50 percent of the vote, but LeBron clearly leads among active players.
The tide is turning in the GOAT debate. pic.twitter.com/FJPH3xUHYy
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Where do NBA players rank Paul George in GOAT conversation?
