The NBA’s GOAT debate has fueled endless discussions among fans, analysts, and even players for decades. The two icons at the heart of this passionate conversation? Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Each has an indisputable legacy, with a litany of achievements that keeps fans loyal and fiercely opinionated. But recently, the fire was stoked even more when Adam Silver, NBA Commissioner, seemingly settled the debate with his answer.

As seen on an X post, popular TikToker Eric “Eruption” Tai asked Silver to name his GOAT. Silver’s response? “Michael Jordan” with a lighthearted addition, “and don’t tell LeBron I said that.” The reply sent shockwaves across social media, with LeBron fans quick to criticize the commissioner’s choice.

To understand why Silver might favor Jordan, a quick dive into the numbers, accolades, and intangibles that both players bring is essential. Revered for his six championships, Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls through two three-peats — a feat that has never been accomplished by an NBA team in modern times. At the end of his career, he collected 5 MVPs, 10 scoring titles, and many All Defenses Team selections. In 15 seasons, his 30.1 point average per game is the highest in NBA history.

On the other hand, LeBron has a resume as rich and as deep as Jordan’s. LeBron now in his third decade in the league has won 4 MVPs and 4 NBA championships. The NBA champ also averaged 27.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.4 assists in his career so far, which isn’t a terrible stat line by any means but still a little behind Jordan’s.

In the end though, who is the greatest of all time is subjective. But fans are still debating since Adam Silver’s recent comments have rekindled the conversation. Let’s see how it has unfolded.

The Fans are not happy with Adam Silver’s opinion

Silver’s unequivocal endorsement of Jordan as the true basketball immortal has seemingly added fuel to the fire, setting the stage for an explosive fan reaction that is certain to dominate the basketball discourse in the days and weeks to come.

Pro Lebron fans poured in with their comments, as one user said, “biased adam silver,” hinting that the commissioner is tilted towards supporting the Chicago Bulls great whereas another fan directly dismissed Silver’s opinion with, “His opinion doesn’t really matter.”

Still, there have been numerous instances where Silver has sung high praises for the Los Angeles Lakers standout. For instance, last year, Silver was one of the first people to congratulate James on becoming the leading scorer in the league.

Fans knew about Silver’s liking towards James and capitalized on this fact with one fan writing, “LeBron retires and he’ll be jobless,” whereas another one commented, “It’s obviously Lebron he doesn’t know ball.”

While others were busy criticizing the 62-year-old over his opinion, few were on the same page with him, with one user writing “Accurate choice he was the goat,” whereas another one said, “rare cook by silver.”

Now as the basketball world continues to grapple with this contentious issue, one thing is certain: the GOAT debate between LeBron James and Michael Jordan will undoubtedly rage on.