![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
The NBA GOAT debate: LeBron James or Michael Jordan?
Michael Jordan has long held the title of the greatest basketball player of all time (GOAT), with a slight edge over LeBron James, but does LeBron’s 4th championship change the debate at all? SportsMan Kushal gives his take.
November 11, 2020
Regardless of which generation a person is from, regardless of whether they are a basketball, much less, a sports fan, ask anybody who Michael Jordan or LeBron James are, and they certainly won’t hesitate to tell you that they are two of the greatest basketball players the world has ever seen.
But change that question from “who are MJ and LeBron” to “who’s the better player” –– that is an entirely different story. Obviously, MJ and LeBron are two NBA players for the ages, but there can only be one greatest player of all time (GOAT).
Now before I get ahead of myself and name who I think is the GOAT, let me slow it down a bit and first dissect some of the most significant metrics that solidify a player as the basketball GOAT. Ready? Let’s dive right in.
So first up, we have the championship rings comparison. On one hand, we have Michael Jordan who went 6-0, going undefeated during all 6 of his NBA Finals appearances. Meanwhile, on the other hand, LeBron James has gone 4-6 of his Finals appearances.
Now at first glance, MJ easily takes the crown on this metric, but I just think we wouldn’t be doing LeBron justice if we failed to take note of two facts. First, LeBron has not only made the Finals four more times than Jordan, but also he’s gotten to the Finals on 3 different teams and he hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. Secondly, LeBron went up against arguably the greatest team of all time in the Golden State Warriors (led by Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant!) from 2015-2018, which accounted for 3 of his Finals losses. Even better for him, don’t forget how LeBron came back from down 3-1 to steal the championship from the historic Dubs team that broke the record for most wins in a season.
The next metric that I think is important in comparing the two generational talents is the longevity of their careers –– Michael Jordan played for fifteen seasons total, while LeBron James just finished his seventeenth season. But again, I’d be remiss if I didn’t clarify something: when MJ came out of retirement to play two more seasons –– he was burned out, but prior to his first retirement, MJ had won his sixth championship. Meanwhile, LeBron will be heading into his eighteenth season next year, and still, without a doubt, is in the top 3 of today’s NBA, which brings me to my next point –– the peaks of their careers.
MJ indubitably hit a higher peak than LeBron James. That is a fact and it is impossible to argue against. Doubt it? Maybe MJ’s 1986-87 season average of 37.1 points will make you reconsider. Anyways, what I’m trying to say is MJ dominated the NBA for nearly a decade. But that doesn’t mean LeBron’s some incomparable couch potato either. Yes, it’s true – MJ’s peak was higher than LeBron’s peak, but LeBron is far more consistent than MJ ever was. Just take the number of his Finals appearances – 10 Finals – that’s almost as many years MJ played in his career.
But look, at the end of the day, it’s challenging to normalize their two careers into a single stat that clarifies who the real GOAT is. Just compare their two eras – NBA foul rules, pace, to name a few – these are all things that have changed radically from then to now.
So glean what you will from that. If it isn’t already obvious who I think it’s the GOAT, you haven’t been paying very much attention. Obviously, it’s Stephen Curry. Nah, I’m just messing around. On a more serious note, maybe it’s just because I grew up watching LeBron dominate and I didn’t get a real chance to watch MJ play. Sure, there’s clips of him playing, but it’s just not the same thing, which is why “The King” LeBron James is the GOAT for me.
