"When I was 41, I could barely walk" - Horace Grant raves about LeBron James' longevity and shifts stance on GOAT debate

Horace Grant is one of the NBA legends who were often asked about the NBA GOAT debate. Having played alongside Michael Jordan and against LeBron James in his final season in the league, Grant's insights carry considerable weight in the discussion.

In his latest take on the Jordan vs. LBJ discourse, the four-time champion first acknowledged James' incredible longevity. Apart from raving about how durable and disciplined Bron is, Grant also implied that that separated Bron from other GOAT candidates.

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"How can LeBron, at his age, still be playing at a high level like that ?" Grant recently told Heavy in an exclusive interview. "When I was 41, I could barely walk."

Grant changed his stance on the GOAT debate

The 6'10" forward won three NBA titles with MJ during his time with the Chicago Bulls. That being said, it's no wonder Horace had always picked Jordan over James as the one true GOAT in the past.

However, that's no longer the case. Grant doesn't see His Airness as t he only player deserving of the coveted title anymore. For him, it's always going to be a matter of eras, so therefore, no stats, records, or milestones are better than the other.

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"Two different players, two different eras," Horace explained. "You can always go back to Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] being called a GOAT in his era. You can go back to Oscar Robertson or Bill Russell being the GOAT in their era. I think the comparison is so outrageous because it's two different eras. That's it, man."

Moreover, Grant also noted that regardless of what people say about them, James and Jordan should never let it affect them.

"They shouldn't cancel each other out," he added. "They should be celebrated for what they did in their time."

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Horace's advice to LeBron

Grant was one of the former Bulls players who disliked how Jordan made The Last Dance documentary almost all about himself. There's probably a great chance that this had something to do with the sudden shift in his take on the GOAT debate.

Apart from no longer declaring Jordan as the GOAT, Grant also gave LeBron unsolicited advice on how to react to all these talks. In a separate discussion, Horace emphasized that LBJ should let the people decide and let his legacy speak for its elf.

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"My personal opinion, he should just let it happen, if it's happened, you know, in terms of the overbearing promotion," Grant once said of James. "I mean, he's on that Rushmore."

"LeBron, KD, James Harden, Steph, all these guys are great, great players in this generation. And that's why I say it's so difficult to choose a GOAT because it's different generations. I mean, back in Wilt Chamberlain's days, you can argue and say that he was the GOAT back then," he added.

Grant's recent thoughts on the Jordan vs. LeBron GOAT conversation only proved that the debate remains a hot topic of discussion within the NBA community and there are slim chances it will die down any time soon.

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Related: Horace Grant is appalled with the disrespect Kobe Bryant received for the Lakers' three-peat: "People are very insane"

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Dec 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.