Dwyane Wade Drops Verdict On ‘Jordan vs. LeBron’ GOAT Debate

For nearly the entirety of NBA history, fans, players, and the media have asked the question, ‘Who is the greatest player of all time?’

While it is a subjective question with no definitive answer, Hall of Famer with the Miami Heat, Dwyane Wade, made it clear who his all-time favorites are. 

On his podcast, Time Out with Dwyane Wade, the three-time champion shared his list of favorite players he’s ever seen, in no particular order. 

Wade’s list only featured players in or after Michael Jordan’s era, and those he had seen in person or played with and against. Along with Jordan, Wade mentioned LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, Allen Iverson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kevin Garnett as his favorite players. 

Wade’s All-Time Favorites

Like many, Wade’s list began with Jordan. He said that MJ was an introduction to basketball, and though he didn’t get to witness first-hand Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in the 1980s, Jordan was the beginning of his understanding of the game. 

Wade then mentioned Bryant, and how similar he was to Jordan, citing both his time playing in the No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys on the Los Angeles Lakers. 

James was next. Wade said that after playing with James on the Heat, he was the best player he had ever seen in person.

“But I got a chance to see him up close and in person for four years in a row,” Wade said. “I never saw a better basketball player, when it comes to the way he plays this game, in person with my own eyes. I saw Jordan from afar, (but) the way LeBron played this game is just incredible.”

He then added Iverson on his list, citing the way he carried himself with confidence and saying that AI was ‘one of my favorite players of all time.’ Curry was next, pointing to the way he took over the league with his three-point shooting. 

The 2006 Finals MVP then mentioned O’Neal, the only other player besides James he played alongside. He said, ‘I have never seen a more dominant force play this game.’ Last but not least was Garnett, with Wade saying his combination of versatility and size was something he had never seen before. 

“Those are seven players in my era of watching basketball that I look at and say, ‘(They) have been game-changers for me,'” Wade said. “(They) are the bars, when it comes to putting people underneath, I put them underneath the bars of these individual players.”

His List Compared to Bleacher Report’s Top 100

While Wade said his list was not a ranking, just him discussing anything related to ‘all-time greats’ in the NBA makes it easy to compare his list to GOAT lists previously created. BleacherReport was the last to do it, ranking the top-100 players of all time, publishing their staff’s picks in mid-July. 

Jordan was first, with James right behind in second. That stacks up close to Wade’s thoughts, as well as the prevailing opinion in the NBA world. 

B/R ranked O’Neal sixth, making him the third-best center behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell. Curry was 10th, the second-highest point guard behind Johnson, and interestingly, the shortest player in the top 15. 

Byrant was 11th, which sparked controversy on the internet and in NBA circles. As he remains a near carbon copy of Jordan based on play style in many people’s eyes, his status outside the top-10 ruffles some feathers. 

Garnett was 16th, the second-best power forward behind only Tim Duncan. Bleacher Report ranked Iverson the lowest of those Wade mentioned, placing him 36th overall. Though his peak was short, it was high, and AI remains one of the most influential players in NBA history, both on and off the court.