LeBron James and Michael Jordan are always in the conversation when discussing who is the greatest NBA player of all time. In fact, we can argue that both these players are considered significantly far off from other NBA legends who are involved in the GOAT conversation.
A former NBA champion, who is best known for his time with the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves is Kevin Garnett. He was interviewed and asked about which 5 players he would want on his NBA All-Time starting 5.
To the surprise of many, Garnett did not mention LeBron James or Michael Jordan, two players who should undoubtedly be on the list. Let us take a look at what Kevin Garnett said and whether he has a legitimate reason for leaving these two NBA legends out of his list.
Why did Kevin Garnett overlook Michael Jordan and LeBron James?
Kevin Garnett certainly knows basketball better than the average fan. After all, he was in the league all the way from 1996-2016. That would mean he entered the NBA during the peak of the Jordan-Bulls dynasty and stayed in it all the way until LeBron James won his 3rd NBA title with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Thus, Garnett has seen both of them win at least three titles during his time in the league. While we are sure he has a fair share of respect towards both of them, there is a simple reason he omitted them when discussing the greatest players in the sport.
That was because he was deciding based on typical basketball positions, “Damn, my starting five? That’s hard. Magic at 1, just because he’s 6-foot-9, he sees everybody,” Garnett said. “I gotta go MJ — matter of fact, I’m gonna put Kobe at my 2… I got Kobe at my 2. I got Kobe at my 2! I know you’re gonna say MJ, I’m supposed to do that. Shoutout to MJ, because he’s the god and we copied him and sh*t but I’ve got Kobe at my 2.”
Choosing Kobe Bryant over Michael Jordan created quite a reaction in the room. However, it was silenced with a quick, “He said what he said” Garnett went on to select Kevin Durant, himself, and Wilt Chamberlain to hold the other 3 remaining positions.
Some might be able to understand why Kevin Garnett preferred Kobe to Jordan. He saw Bryant win 5 titles during his time in the league. However, not including LeBron James on the list is something that fans would certainly have a problem it.