Michael Jordan Considered G.O.A.T. In NBA Fan Poll, Followed By LeBron James

One of the biggest questions in sports is who is the ‘G.O.A.T.’ – Greatest Of All Time – in the NBA. The argument usually comes down to Michael Jordan and LeBron James. ESPN tried to settle the debate, as they commissioned a poll of 615 NBA fans ages 18 and older, asking various questions and the fans would choose who they preferred, Jordan or James.

At the conclusion of the poll, it was determined that Jordan was the greatest of all time winning in a landslide over James, earning 73% of the vote. In the 17 questions asked by ESPN, Jordan was favored in every single one.

One of the main criticisms of any poll, especially one of this type is an age/generation gap, to account for this, ESPN split the people they polled into two groups, one of people ages 18-34 and another of people 35-plus. In both groups, Jordan was favored over James, earning 79% of the vote in the 35-plus group, and earning 66% of the vote in the 18-34 group. 

This all comes on the heels of ESPN releasing their list of the top-74 players in NBA history, where there expert panel of NBA analysts ranked Jordan as the greatest NBA player of all time, with James coming in second.