"I've never seen a player like this" - Isiah Thomas explains why LeBron James has officially passed Michael Jordan

Conversations about who the rightful owner of the mythical "Greatest of All Time" (GOAT) title is are always fun, with hoop fans around the world sharing their takes on the matter. However, the discussion gets ratcheted up to a whole new level when OGs like Isiah Thomas share their two cents on this never-ending debate.

The two-time NBA champion and sentinel of the "Bad Boys" Detroit Pistons recently appeared on "Run It Back" and asserted that, in his mind, Los Angeles Lakers great LeBron James stands head and shoulders above everyone, including His Airness himself, Michael Jordan.

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Eye test backed by numbers

The GOAT conversation often comes down to two players: LeBron and MJ. And more often than not, Jordan, who won six NBA titles, five MVP awards and six NBA Finals MVP trophies on top of countless other individual accolades, gets the nod. However, Zeke begged to differ, contending that LeBron passes both the eye test and the numbers test.

"I've never seen a basketball player like LeBron James. There's the eye test, and then now can we back it up with the numbers?" Thomas said. "And as I said last time I was on your show, he's breaking every single record that's ever been set in the game of basketball, and he's showing up in every individual category."

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"Rebounds, points, assists, games played, baskets made — I mean, he's — he's all over the board," he continued. "There's never been a player in the history of the game like LeBron James."

There's no denying the points that Zeke raised. After all, the 41-year-old i s already playing in his 23rd season and continues to be an impactful player for the Purple and Gold. After breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record for most points scored in NBA history in 2023, he recently surpassed Robert Parish's mark for most games played in league history.

"So, does that make him the GOAT?" Zeke stated. "In my opinion, yes."

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Thomas admits Kobe's in the mix

Zeke humorously pointed out that when it comes to the GOAT conversation, apparently, only players 6'6" and under are included. Superstars like Shaquille O'Neal, Kareem and Tim Duncan are rarely mentioned, if at all.

"I guess we only in the 6'6 category because that's seems to be what the GOAT debate has been defined to the criteria," Thomas said, eliciting laughter from the "Run It Back" crew.

That said, Zeke said that the late, great Lakers icon Kobe Bryant should be included in the mix as well, especially since he was practically the spitting image of Mike.

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"MJ was the original, right? And we give credit to Kobe for being the best imitation of the original. So, he's always second," Thomas remarked. "If we talking about the rankings, for me, I'm going LeBron, MJ, Kobe."

For all we know, Zeke had his objective hat on and declared LeBron the GOAT solely based on his statistical merits and individual greatness. However, when it comes to talking about MJ, one always has to take Zeke's comments with a grain of salt, especially given their colorful history that dates back to their fierce playoff battles in the 1980s, all the way to Thomas' exclusion from the famed Dream Team.

Related: Isiah Thomas explained why Chicago would still have six NBA championships if Kevin Durant replaced Michael Jordan

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Mar 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.