In 2019, LeBron James explained that his title in 2016 made him the greatest player of all time. Michael Jordan, on the other hand, had never wanted to enter the discussion. Until January 17, 2019?
Has the Chicago Bulls icon changed his mind? In any case, the twitter account of his brand has reopened the debate on the GOAT. With a simple emoji that may cause a lot of ink to flow. It remains to be seen if MJ is the author of this tweet or if it is more likely the CM of Brand Jordan. And, in this case, if this post is a personal initiative without referring to the boss (which would be almost a fault as the subject is hot) or if he had his approval. Let’s go back in time. In 2009, MJ gave a particularly interesting interview to Michael Wilbon, in which he summarized his position:
« When I hear about this, I kind of run away from the question because no one can know. I never had a chance to play against those guys. I would have loved to have had the chance. If you say I’m better than those guys, that’s your opinion. I accept that opinion, but if you ask me, I will never say I’m the best player in history, » Michael Jordan explained in particular (you can find his words in full here).
At the end of December 2018, LeBron James did not bother with these questions. The Laker assured that he had become the greatest player in the history of the league thanks to the victory of the Cleveland Cavaliers over the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals:
« That win made me the greatest player of all time. That’s how I felt about it. I was ecstatic to have won for Cleveland after 52 years without a title for the city. Everyone saw me crying. Then I sat back and thought, ‘That made you the G.O.A.T.,' » he said.
Was it this statement that caused Michael Jordan to step out of his duty of reserve? Was it his community manager who snapped in isolation (when you read Sam Smith’s Jordan Rules and see how he could bully his teammates, good luck to the CM if Jordan summons him to explain his displeasure…)? Is it rather a well thought out comm’ strategy? Hard to say. In any case, the brand of His Airness made a tweet that obviously did not go unnoticed. While Twitter asked people to describe themselves in emoji, @Jumpman23 posted a goat. A « goat », in English. Simply put:
— Jordan (@Jumpman23) January 17, 2019
This tweet certainly did not put an end to the debate. But by suggesting that he is the greatest without saying it directly as LeBron James did, Michael Jordan has done very well in terms of comm’ …
