Isiah Thomas (L), LeBron James (C), Michael Jordan (R). Credits: Imagn Images and IMAGO

Isiah Thomas is among the handful of NBA icons from the 1980s and 1990s who are in LeBron James’ corner against Michael Jordan in the GOAT debate. What started as an on-court matchup in the 1980’s has since devolved into a beef with both parties taking multiple shots at each other over the years. Thomas continues to find ways to discredit Jordan’s legacy and claim to the ‘Greatest Of All Time’ title, and this time he’s resorted to propping up LeBron James to drag his rival down.

Taking to his Instagram stories, Thomas shared a slew of reels from various fan accounts using interviews and stats to push James’ position as the ‘GOAT’. These include excerpts of interviews from former players talking about James’ game.

The first clip shared includes interviews and snippets of players like David Robinson, Gary Payton, Magic Johnson and Chauncey Billups claiming LeBron is the best player of all time. It even had an interview with Dirk Nowitzki, who beat James in the 2011 Finals, claiming “If he (James) really surpasses Kareem in the scoring record, I mean, I’m sorta running out of arguments for Michael.”

The second clip was of an appearance Thomas had on TV. In it, he’s asked by Skip Bayless whether he believes James is better than Jordan. Thomas replies in the affirmative, stating players like Jordan, himself and Shaquille O’Neal had Hall of Fame coaches to learn from.

James, having never played under a HoF-level coach, was so adept at breaking down an opposition’s game plan, that Thomas even called him the “Einstein of basketball.”

The third clip featured a Tim Duncan interview after a game in the 2007 NBA Finals. James, who had miraculously carried the Cavs to the Finals was unable to beat a powerhouse Spurs squad. Duncan, in the interview, was asked how James’ offense was being limited by the Spurs, replied, “We’re guarding him with 5 guys.” 

The clip then shows highlights from matches played, where the extensive coverage of James was visible. Duncan went on to add, “He’s the best player in the world, so we’re trying our best to disrupt his rhythm.”

The final clip is from one of James’ most heated rivals. Kevin Garnett and his Celtics squad were credited by many for being the reason James left Cleveland for Miami in 2010, and even he had no choice but to recognize greatness.

“If we talking about shot making, we talking about ability, we talking about skill, he in all those conversations, but now, we’re talking about even the greatest couldn’t do this (beat Kareem’s scoring record). Wilt couldn’t do this, Jordan couldn’t do this.”

Of course, players are entitled to their opinion. These clips are a dime a dozen as well. For every clip praising James, there are 2 that claim Jordan was better. It is an unending debate, but what we can do for now is just appreciate the players we have been lucky enough to witness.