The GOAT debate scorched social media again this week. Whether you’re Team MJ, Team LeBron, or waving the Kobe banner, the arguments never really stop. Even ex-players fuel the feud with fiery take. But just when things seemed to simmer down, a familiar name threw gasoline on the flames—Michael Jordan’s longtime agent, David Falk.
Interestingly, Falk didn’t just drop an opinion out of the blue. He was speaking at the Sports Business Journal’s 4SE conference in Manhattan on May 20 when he was asked about the GOAT. Without blinking, he backed his former client. Not only did Falk declare Jordan the greatest, he added, “Number two, probably Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] or Kobe [Bryant].” That alone would’ve stirred up the usual LeBron vs. MJ crowd—but Falk didn’t stop there.
In fact, things took a sharper turn when someone brought up LeBron. Asked if the Lakers star even made Falk’s top 10, he replied, “Probably,” before dropping a heavy-handed shot that echoed across social media. “I really like LeBron. But I think if Jordan had cherry-picked what teams he wanted to be on and two other superstars, he would’ve won 15 championships.”
Naturally, that stirred the pot. ANd now, former Suns star Eddie Johnson, who earlier this year publicly declared LeBron as his GOAT, reposted Falk’s quote with a quick caption: “Why would he say anything else.” The shift in tone didn’t go unnoticed. It’s almost like Johnson flipped sides—or at least made room for Falk’s opinion to breathe.
Why would he say anything else. https://t.co/yu7hRILJRH
— Eddie A Johnson (@Jumpshot8) May 23, 2025
Meanwhile, things got even spicier when Rich Paul, LeBron’s trusted agent, stepped in. He didn’t hold back, aiming directly at Falk’s “cherry-pick” comment.
“Interesting to use the term ‘Cherry Picking,’ coming from someone who literally had John Thompson, Dean Smith, and Mike Krzyzewski supporting his business. Putting superstar athletes in the lap,” He didn’t stop there. Paul pointed out that Jordan, unlike LeBron, never had to fight the relentless media scrutiny that defines today’s game: “Michael has never been the underdog in any (NBA) Finals. Not one time. Michael never had a 24-hour, 365 news cycle… People made millions of dollars criticizing LeBron; that was their entire job.”
So while the debate continues, let’s see why Eddie feels LeBron is the GOAT.
Eddie A. Johnson chooses LeBron James over Michael Jordan
Back in March, Eddie A. Johnson made it loud and clear—he wasn’t sitting on the fence anymore. The former Suns sharpshooter and Sixth Man of the Year finally picked his GOAT, and it wasn’t Michael Jordan. When LeBron James shattered history on March 4, 2025, by becoming the first player ever to eclipse 50,000 combined regular-season and playoff points, Johnson knew it was time to hang up the “wait until he retires” caveat.
Johnson reacted instantly on X, writing, “We will never see anyone play into their 40’s and be putting up prime time numbers like this man is doing. I have said that I would wait until he retires before I argue his name in GOAT conversation, but after this. I can honestly say that LeBron is the GOAT!”
At 40, LeBron isn’t just hanging on—he’s dominating. On the night he hit 50K, he poured in 34 points on 13-of-21 shooting, hauled in 8 rebounds, dished 6 assists, and tallied a steal and two blocks against New Orleans. It stood as proof that age has done nothing to dull his all-around brilliance.
Over the course of the 2024–25 campaign, James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists while shooting 51.3% from the field, numbers that sit alongside his four championships and two Finals MVPs. For a veteran whose career began the year Johnson won Sixth Man, that level of sustained excellence in a media-obsessed, superstar-driven era, Johnson argues, cements James’s case above even Michael Jordan’s celebrated six-ring legacy.
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