Survey Shows Majority of Americans Think Jordan Is the GOAT, Not LeBron

From their identical jersey number to their respective on-court dominance, the once-in-a-generation talents of Michael Jordan and LeBron James will forever be tied together. As a result, there is a lively debate between sports fans over who is the NBA's true G.O.A.T. This led one company to put their computers to work and create a survey that they hope will silence all the arguments.

Earlier this month, Business Insider teamed up with SurveyMonkey Audience to construct a poll that features some of the biggest names in NBA history to answer the question, "Who is the greatest basketball player of all time?" Dominating the top of the list was Michael Jordan. According to BI, 66 percent of their responders think that His Airness is the best player to grace the hardwood. That put him light years ahead of the number two response, LeBron James, whom only 10.4 percent of people think is the G.O.A.T.

Per the report, BI claims to have asked over 1,000 respondents how often they watched NBA and who they feel is the greatest player of all time. Of these respondents, close to 750 were able to give a definite answer on who they feel is the G.O.A.T. It is from those clear responses that the publication generated their data.

Outside of James and Jordan, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlian, and Shaquille O'Neal rounded out the top five. This was followed by Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Steph Curry, Bill Russell, and Magic Johnson. Also, five percent of responders selected another legendary player.