Who was considered GOAT before Michael was called it?

[PGDynasty24]

Magic?B-Russ?Wilt?Kareem?

[lil_penny]

I had always thought of wilt before jordan.. but I'm sure it could go for any of those guys mentioned.

[Venti Quattro]

I think Kareem

[NRHector]

Dr J?

[TheKingOfMIA6]

Probably Wilt

[Chieflion]

Kareem.

[HarlemHeat37]

TBH, I don't think any previous era was as concerned with individual accomplishments as the Jordan and post-Jordan era..while Mike was obviously huge for the league, he also obviously changed everything from a marketing standpoint, to the point where everybody now loves to talk about individual accomplishments over team accomplishments..

If you're asking me right now to look back, it would probably be Kareem, I guess..

[Blackjack]

TBH, I don't think any previous era was as concerned with individual accomplishments as the Jordan and post-Jordan era..while Mike was obviously huge for the league, he also obviously changed everything from a marketing standpoint, to the point where everybody now loves to talk about individual accomplishments over team accomplishments..

If you're asking me right now to look back, it would probably be Kareem, I guess..

Agree. I don't believe there was a consensus and there was never any real talk of who was the best because the perspective just wasn't the same.

Jordan is the GOAT on the court but he completely changed the game off the court and it's a big reason why no matter how close someone gets to him as a player on the court, they'll never be able to surpass him for what was done off.

Jordan was the trailblazer, but I imagine Portland fans wish he would have been a Trailblazer -- Sam Bowie anyone?

[baseline bum]

Wilt

[Blackjack]

I think it really came down to Russell and Wilt before Jordan when the discussion came to bear, tbh.

But it was just a different time and the individual certainly wasn't celebrated the way they were after Jordan.

[Brazil]

Wilt

[Killakobe81]

I would say Kareem.
People that weight titles would go Russell ...
People that are stat lovers would argue Wilt ...

Kareem gives you the best of both ...though his winning increased with Magic ...

But when factoring college and NBA I think kareem was the GOAT though russell and MJ won in college as well ...

[Darrin]

Magic?B-Russ?Wilt?Kareem?

All were in the discussion, as were Larry Bird and Oscar Robertson.

[TheManFromAcme]

........within the hourglass of GOAT's MJ is but a mere grain of sand among the the grains of sand all of which are Laker GOAT's...... :toast

[JamStone]

I don't really know for sure. I started following the NBA in the mid 1980s, right in the middle of the Magic v. Bird era. Those were the biggest names, and Jordan was already starting to dominate the league from a statistical sense.

I would imagine that many people felt that Wilt was the GOAT based on individual dominance or that Bill Russell was the GOAT based on championship success. The in-between was Kareem. I think any of the three were often discussed as the GOAT, but it wasn't a consenses. There was a divide and pretty solid arguments for any of those three.

That speaks volumes on Michael Jordan's greatness. Because when Jordan was done after 1998, it was pretty much a majority opinion that he was GOAT. There may have been small minority opinions still arguing Wilt or Russell or even Kareem, Magic, or Bird. But the overwhelming majority of people gave it to Jordan. He dominated the league as an individual and his individual dominance resulted in championships.

Before Jordan, there was a divide in the opinion. After Jordan, it was pretty much Jordan. Period.

That's how great he was and how impressive his dominance of the league was.

[Dex]

All were in the discussion, as were Larry Bird and Oscar Robertson.

This.

Jordan became the GOAT by putting all the others into a second category, instead of just falling into the same debate with all them.

[Killakobe81]

I don't really know for sure. I started following the NBA in the mid 1980s, right in the middle of the Magic v. Bird era. Those were the biggest names, and Jordan was already starting to dominate the league from a statistical sense.

I would imagine that many people felt that Wilt was the GOAT based on individual dominance or that Bill Russell was the GOAT based on championship success. The in-between was Kareem. I think any of the three were often discussed as the GOAT, but it wasn't a consenses. There was a divide and pretty solid arguments for any of those three.

That speaks volumes on Michael Jordan's greatness. Because when Jordan was done after 1998, it was pretty much a majority opinion that he was GOAT. There may have been small minority opinions still arguing Wilt or Russell or even Kareem, Magic, or Bird. But the overwhelming majority of people gave it to Jordan. He dominated the league as an individual and his individual dominance resulted in championships.

Before Jordan, there was a divide in the opinion. After Jordan, it was pretty much Jordan. Period.

That's how great he was and how impressive his dominance of the league was.

Agreed. jordan was ahead of his time. EVERYONE is following his blueprint ...

dont gte me wrong I can make my cases for Magic ...but when it comes down to it by winning titles and having the stats to back it up Jordan is GOAT even over my all-time favorite ...magic.

[Daddy_Of_All_Trolls]

It's always tough to compare players from different eras, especially when they play different positions.

Looking at football, kickers lead in scoring, but team play gives them their chance to score. A great quarterback needs great receivers and an effective offensive line for protection to be great.

Baseballl could Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb hit Bob Gibson and Roger Clemens? Would Cy Young have a chance pitching to Kirby Puckett, Tony Gwynn, or Derek Jeter? How can you compare pitchers to hitters? You can't.

Basketball is a sport where the players play as close to equals as they can on the court. The center position is different, mainly on the defensive end. Wilt and Kareem were offensive threats. Wilt and Russell grabbed rebounds unlike no other.

You can argue the GOAT all day long, but the only fair way is to have a GOAT for each position. I'll add a few players that come to mind and hope I have their positions correctly given:

Center; Wilt, Kareem, Russell, Hakeem, Shaq, Ewing, Moses Malone, DRob, Walton, Reed
Power Forward; Duncan, Garnett, Karl Malone, McHale, Barkley, Lucas, Dirk.
Small Forward; Bird, Erving, James, Baylor, Havilecek, Cunningham, Greer, Pippen, Worthy.
Shooting Guard; Jordan, Wade, Bryant, Gervin, Isiaih Thomas, Jerry West, Iverson, Earl Monroe.
Point Guard; Magic, Stockton, Oscar Robertson, Frazier, Nash, Kidd, CP3, Williams.

Someone should research this further and attempt a GOAT list for each position.

[Brazil]

Someone should research this further and attempt a GOAT list for each position.

even for that we can argue hours, is duncan a center or a pf ?

maybe a big, wing and guard GOAT ?

[Silver&Black]

Easy one....Bill Russell. He still might be the GOAT. Dude has 10 rings....hard to compete with that. And he's a class act...

[Koolaid_Man]

Magic?B-Russ?Wilt?Kareem?


not 100% sure but I'm sure it was a Laker....

[Cane]

Generally Wilt or Russel.

[Thompson]

Easy one....Bill Russell. He still might be the GOAT. Dude has 10 rings....hard to compete with that. And he's a class act...

I would go with this, but I wasn't alive back then, and I don't know to what degree those titles are the result of playing in a league with around 8 teams and a lower level of competition. Duncan seems to respect Russell the most (saying that of all the greats, he would want to play against him), so I give that some weight.

Then again Russell's last season was '69, before Duncan was even born.

[cobbler]

It was Wilt before Jordan, and in my book it still is. And it's not even close.