"Michael Jordan always took it to a point where he wanted to guard the best player" - Gary Payton unfolds why LeBron James cannot be the GOAT over Michael Jordan

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"Michael Jordan always took it to a point where he wanted to guard the best player" - Gary Payton unfolds why LeBron James cannot be the GOAT over Michael Jordan originally appeared on Basketball Network.
There's a reason the debates about the NBA's greatest player rarely fade with time. They live in memories, rivalries and in the words of men who actually played against legends. Hall of Fame point guard Gary Payton, one of the fiercest defenders to ever lace up is one of those who faced legends.
Michael Jordan and LeBron James are two of the most dominant forces the league has ever seen. And for Payton, the comparison on both isn't centered on stats, rings or even longevity. But in mentality, particularly, on the defensive end of the floor.
Jordan's elite defense
Before defensive metrics became mainstream, Jordan had established himself as a lockdown perimeter defender. And in the eyes of one of his arch rivals, that hunger separated him from the pack.
"Michael Jordan always took it to a point where he wanted to guard the best player," Payton recalled. "Even with myself. Even if I started talking trash with him, he would always tell Scottie Pippen, 'I'm taking Gary tonight.' He would always take the best basketball player on that team."
Payton, a man whose entire career was defined by his relentless defense and dogged competitiveness, has long been respected for more than just his accolades. He had the ability to suffocate opposing guards, he was part of a 1990s generation where physicality was worn like armour and Jordan was dominant in that era.
MJ's 1987–88 season remains one of the most unprecedented all-around performances in NBA history. He ruled both ends. That year, Jordan led the league in scoring with 35.0 points per game, and was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year, a combination that's practically unheard of.
No other guard has ever pulled that off in the same season.
He also made the All-Defensive First Team and led the league in steals with 3.2 per game, proving he was a nightmare for opposing offenses. To lead the league in scoring and steals while anchoring a defense good enough to earn DPOY honors and doing all this as a 6-foot-6 guard is a level of two-way excellence we rarely, if ever, see.
Facing the challenge
Just over a decade later, Payton had a feel of Jordan when the Seattle SuperSonics met the Chicago Bulls in the 1996 NBA Finals.
Payton was in his prime, the league's Defensive Player of the Year and the engine of the 64-win Sonics team. Jordan, having returned from his baseball sabbatical just a year prior, was on a mission to restore Chicago's dominance.
The two clashed fiercely in that series, verbally, physically, psychologically.
And while Chicago won in six games, what stood out most wasn't just the Bulls victory, but Jordan's refusal to let someone else carry the defensive burden. That was Jordan's edge. It wasn't just about being better, he wanted to prove it and that, for Payton, is a major difference.
James' greatness has always been a multifaceted marvel.
His size, vision and longevity are unmatched in NBA history. He's the all-time leading scorer, a four-time champion and the only player to win Finals MVP with three different franchises. But for all that, perhaps Payton sees a different approach in how James manages his role and why that approach distances him from G.O.A.T. consideration in his book.
"LeBron doesn't want to tire yourself out, because he does so much on his basketball team," Payton said. "It's a difference. Michael Jordan have a mindset of, 'I don't care if I do tire myself out, I'm gonna take this guy, because I'm gonna prove to him I'm a better basketball player.'"
James is a master of the long game. He conserves energy for scoring bursts and playmaking duties. Throughout his career, he's been the primary ball-handler, facilitator and at times, the coach on the floor. That workload demands tactical pacing. But in doing so, he rarely insists on the defensive assignment that Jordan craved.
James' game has evolved with modern spacing, switching schemes and positional fluidity, which often requires him to roam or rotate instead of taking the marquee matchup for an entire game.
Jordan, on the other hand, played in an era that didn't allow rest in that way. Defensive matchups weren't handed out for efficiency. They were claimed out of pride.
The idea of letting someone else guard the best player was almost offensive to the competitive core of someone like Jordan.This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 23, 2025, where it first appeared.