What Is the NBA Goat Criteria?
A couple of days ago, Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. issued a controversial statement regarding who he thinks the NBA’s greatest player of all time is. “I’m going, Nikola Jokic. The reason I say that is because he could have won MVP five years in a row. Can you name another player who could’ve won MVP five years ago?”
First of all, using this logic seems a little bit flawed, seeing as there are a plethora of players who could have done the same thing. LeBron James won four MVPs over five years from 2009 to 2013, not to mention many regarded LeBron as the best player for ten plus years in a row. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won five MVPs across seven years from 1971 to 1977. Even Michael Jordan, despite only winning five MVPs, was regarded as the best player in the league for a decade. All of these players could have done exactly what MPJ thinks Jokic could do, casting doubt on MPJ’s criteria for who is the NBA’s goat. So, if this isn’t the criteria for choosing the NBA’s goat, what then is?
When determining who the greatest player, or players, of the NBA is, it’s important to seek a balance of how good a player is and how accomplished a player is. If a player averages 100 points a game but never wins anything, how can you say they were the greatest of all time? On the flip side, if a player wins ten championships but always had a minor or bench role with each team, how can you say that he is the greatest of all time? The greatest players must have a balance. They have to be really good where fans recognize that they are one of the best players, if not the best player in the league, while also being accomplished in the accolades department. All-Star selections, All-NBA selections, MVPs, championships, individual stats, etc. All of these must factor into who the greatest players in the NBA are, as each of these means different things.
All-NBA selections are determined by the media voting for who they think is best. All-Star selections take into account fan and current players’ opinions on who is best. The MVP is given to the best player in the regular season. The championship usually goes to the team and players who played the best in the playoffs. Awards such as Defensive Player of the Year or just a player’s individual stats carry weight as well. All of these accolades mean something different; thus, they are all important in determining a player’s greatness. How you rank these, though, is entirely up to you.
Do you value a player who had a really high peak for a few years, thus dominating in individual statistics and capturing a bunch of championships over a short time? Do you value a player who wasn’t quite as good but played well for a lot longer, capturing the same number of awards and rings? Perhaps you feel championships are truly a team effort, and thus you don’t think the greatest players need them to be great, thus prioritizing MVPs, All-NBA selections, and other regular-season awards? Really, it’s up to you to determine your criteria, and everyone’s is usually different.
For me, I value peak performance more to the point that it doesn’t matter how long a player was good and how many stats they accumulated. I look at MVPs, rings, and their statistics. How good were they, and how much did they accomplish in that stretch? That’s just me, though. Michael Porter Jr. seems to value MVPs the most. Your criteria may be different from mine or Michael’s, and that’s ok, too. That’s what makes these debates so timeless and compelling.
