Ray Allen Reignites GOAT Debate, Says Jordan Still Beats LeBron James Even After Historic Move to 76ers

The debate over basketball's greatest player of all time has followed LeBron James through four franchises and 24 NBA seasons, and it isn't going anywhere now that he's a Philadelphia 76er. Hall of Famer Ray Allen, who played alongside James and against Michael Jordan during his 18-year career, has made clear in recent years that his vote still belongs to Jordan.

James signed a two-year, $8 million contract with Philadelphia in July, ending his eight-season run with the Los Angeles Lakers and setting up what he has called his "last decision" as a player. The move reunites him with Joel Embiid, his teammate on the United States' gold medal-winning 2024 Olympic team, and pairs him with All-Star wing Jaylen Brown, whom the 76ers acquired from Boston in a blockbuster trade. Philadelphia also completed a separate trade sending rookie forward-center Johni Broome to the Los Angeles Clippers to clear salary-cap room for James and veteran guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Allen's long-standing position on Jordan

Allen, who won two NBA championships and is best remembered for his game-tying 3-pointer in Game 6 of the 2013 Finals as James' teammate on the Miami Heat, has repeatedly and consistently sided with Jordan in the sport's defining debate. In an interview with Dan Patrick, Allen offered a direct comparison of the two stars.

"I think [James] certainly, just off the cuff, he's certainly in the top five of all time. But playing against him and MJ, I think for me it's MJ all day long," Allen said. "MJ just had everything, from mid-range to 3-point to post-up game, and he could score and dominate in each position."

Allen expanded on that assessment in a separate conversation with CBS Sports, crediting Jordan not just for his on-court dominance but for the way he transformed the league commercially.

"In my opinion, M.J. is the GOAT," Allen said. "LeBron is a product of M.J., so a lot of what's in LeBron — in his DNA — comes from Michael. For anybody that says that LeBron is the GOAT, they're growing up in today's era."

He continued: "They believe what they believe based on how it feels and what he means to them, and that's OK. But the way MJ affected the game, man, he had a stranglehold on the league and he struck fear in everyone because he was an unstoppable player."

A viral moment with young fans

Allen's most widely circulated comments on the topic came not from a formal interview but from a video that spread across social media, showing him debating the question with a group of young basketball players. When one fan argued in James' favor, describing him simply as someone who "can score and pass it," Allen responded with a rapid-fire challenge to the logic.

"Is he a great free throw shooter? Is he a great 3-point shooter? Is he a great dribbler?" Allen asked. After the fans acknowledged James doesn't lead the league in any of those specific categories, Allen pressed the point further: "So you're saying he's the GOAT when he ain't even great in all them categories?" He closed the exchange by naming his pick outright: Jordan.

The moment drew criticism from some fans and analysts, who noted that Jordan himself was never known as an elite 3-point shooter and that James remains one of the most well-rounded players in league history, ranking among the sport's all-time leaders in scoring, assists and rebounding. Still, Allen has not wavered from his position in subsequent public comments, pointing instead to Jordan's two-way dominance and cultural impact as the deciding factors.

Why the debate resurfaces now

James enters his 24th NBA season, a league record, as he begins his tenure in Philadelphia. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and has appeared in 10 NBA Finals, winning four championships across three franchises — Miami, Cleveland and Los Angeles. Should he add a title with the 76ers, he would become the first player in league history to win a championship with three different teams, a milestone that supporters argue would only strengthen his case in the GOAT conversation.

Jordan, by comparison, played 15 seasons and won all six of his NBA Finals appearances with the Chicago Bulls, along with five MVP awards to James' four. Jordan also won Defensive Player of the Year in 1988 and led the league in steals three times, statistics Allen and other Jordan supporters frequently cite as evidence of his more complete two-way game.

James' arrival in Philadelphia has been framed by the 76ers organization and by James himself as a final opportunity to add to that championship résumé. In announcing the move, James described it as a chance to "energize a new fan base" after strongly considering retirement following the end of his 23rd season with the Lakers.

"I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time," James wrote in a social media post announcing his decision in July.

A debate without an ending

The Jordan-James argument has become one of the most enduring conversations in American sports, and Allen is far from alone among former players in weighing in. Hall of Famer Allen Iverson, who faced both stars in their primes, has offered a different view, calling James "the best overall basketball player that we'll ever see." Former teammate Dwyane Wade has similarly stopped short of crowning either man outright, noting that the debate often comes down to generational loyalty more than statistical analysis.

For Allen, though, the answer has remained consistent across multiple interviews spanning several years: Jordan's all-around dominance, defensive impact and outsized influence on the sport's global growth outweigh James' record-setting longevity and statistical accumulation. Whether a potential championship run in Philadelphia changes that calculus for Allen, or for the wider public, is likely to remain a live question throughout James' 24th season.