argument top image

Who is the best basketball player of all time?
Back to question

Jordan is the consensus choice

Basketball experts, including analysts, commentators, historians, coaches, and players, have overwhelmingly declared him the greatest of all time.
(1 of 3) Next argument >

The Argument

While the specific attributes which make one player better than another are subjective and can always be argued, a review of expert opinions on the greatest player of all time points clearly toward Michael Jordan. Jordan has been named the greatest by numerous leading sports and basketball publications, including ESPN, Fox Sports, and SLAM Magazine. In 2019, a poll of 100 active NBA players found that 73% believed Jordan was the greatest, and the NBA's official profile of Michael Jordan begins with this statement: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time." Jordan's reputation as a great player even extends beyond the sport of basketball, as he has been ranked atop lists of the greatest athletes in any sport. In 1999, the Associated Press voted Jordan the second-greatest athlete of the 20th century, behind only baseball player Babe Ruth, and an ESPN survey of sports experts ranked him the top North American athlete of the century, ahead of Ruth and all others.

Counter arguments

Premises

[P1] Analysts agree Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. [P2] Therefore, it is true.

Rejecting the premises

References

This page was last edited on Thursday, 12 Mar 2020 at 08:49 UTC

Explore related arguments