NBA Draft Prospect Gives Peculiar GOAT Pick Over LeBron James

NBA fans have spent two decades deciding who the greatest of all time is between LeBron James and Michael Jordan. But a draft prospect brought a new name to the discussion.

Brandon Miller is the betting favorite at FanDuel to be the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday. The Alabama product recently was in New York to prepare for a big step in his NBA journey, and he spoke about his meeting with the Charlotte Hornets, who own the second pick.

Jordan is set to sell his stake in the team, but he will remain a minority owner, and he has been meeting with prospects. Miller was asked about the GOAT debate between Jordan and James, and the 20-year-old threw a curve ball.

“I actually don’t think LeBron is the GOAT of basketball,” Miller told Bally Sports’ Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson. “My GOAT of basketball is Paul George. I grew up watching him. It’s never just LeBron.”

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith echoed the sentiments of many NBA fans when he tweeted “utterly ridiculous” at the take.

Jordan and James arguably are the two best players to ever play basketball. There certainly are cases to be made for other players like Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlin, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant or Stephen Curry. But George is a huge stretch.

The Los Angeles Clippers star has not won a championship in his 13-year career, and his most impressive accolades are spots on six All-NBA teams (five of which were third team). George’s history with injuries hurt his career numbers, so it’s a pretty thin case.

But Miller was confident in his take, and it doesn’t seem like he’ll waver on it anytime soon.