LeBron James, Michael Jordan Aren't NBA GOATs, Gary Payton Says

Neither LeBron James nor Michael Jordan is the NBA's greatest of all time (GOAT), according to former nine-time All-Star Gary Payton.

The GOAT debate is one that has centered around James for a majority of his career as many now feel he is seriously staking a claim for the unofficial accolade seemingly held by Jordan — especially considering the circumstances the Cleveland Cavaliers have faced this season.

Despite the franchise fielding different starting lineups, various injuries to the roster, a GM change, the late-season absence of head coach Tyronn Lue due to illness and the departure of Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics last year, James has willed his side on all the way to the NBA Finals for the fourth straight year where they will once again face the Golden State Warriors.

In the process, the 30-year-old averaged 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 9.1 assists during the regular season while he is averaging a remarkable 34.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 8.8 assists during the postseason along with breaking a number of records and delivering multiple game-winning clutch plays.

His most recent performance in their victorious Game 7 against the Celtics was lauded by many in the basketball world as the GOAT debate was reignited once again.

But for Payton, who played against both James and Jordan, neither of them are the best basketball players in his opinion as he opted to side with the likes of Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

"Me, I think Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) are the two best basketball players ever," Payton said Wednesday during NBA Finals media day, as per Mercury News. "Wilt Chamberlain, by far, is my best basketball player. Best athlete ever."

Chamberlain was a two-time NBA champion and is notably the only player to score 100 points in a game while he also averaged a record 50.4 points per game during the 1961-1962 season. As for Abdul-Jabbar, he is still the NBA's leading scorer with 38,387 points as well as a winner of six NBA championships and six MVP awards.

But that does not mean James is not making a case for himself to be one of the greatest of all time as Payton believes even with just three NBA titles compared to Jordan's six, the Akron native is more than worthy after reaching his eight consecutive NBA Finals appearance.

"I don’t compare them [James and Jordan] — different eras," Payton added. "He has his era, Michael had his era. You’ve got two players who dominated their eras. LeBron is making a case for himself to be one of the greatest players to ever play. People are going to say he only won three championships. Michael won six. So what? Eight straight Finals is really good."

However, the former Los Angeles Lakers point guard does not see the NBA Finals being competitive unless James' supporting cast step up.

"If the other guys [on the Cavaliers roster] don’t make shots, it might be a quick series," he explained. "The pressure is on the other guys to make plays. They’ve got to be aggressive and they’ve got to perform."