Being called the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) is arguably the ultimate honor and prestige an individual can attain in the best major sports leagues in the world. As an avid basketball fan myself, comparing the greatest players ever seems to be a lot more prevalent within the basketball community compared to other sports circles.

Based on the consensus of many knowledgeable basketball fans, most people associate Michael Jordan as the greatest player of all time, along with other great players like Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, and even the most recent players in the modern era. 

While it is fun to discuss who you think is the GOAT, these discussions have also become very heated and created a negative impact on appreciating the best players that have contributed to the game, especially nowadays on various sports media platforms.

It might just be me, but it has become evident when you scroll through popular social media, from Twitter to Instagram, the irritation and toxicity through the screen on comment sections. When some people look to express what they feel, there are many that look to downplay the players they criticize and sometimes even attack fans who have an opposing view to them.

For example, Lebron James is probably one of the most recent examples of players who have a polarizing fanbase. These fans either love him or hate him. Whenever someone says they think Lebron is better than the consensus GOAT Michael Jordan, you have your certain group of Jordan fans who try to downplay and scrutinize anything towards Lebron.

Compared to many of the other great players from today and the past, Lebron is always expected to do everything perfectly and almost everything is picked apart by his critics, whether he does something good or bad.

Now, this isn’t only an issue related to Lebron, as this also obviously pertains to pretty much all of the best players who are considered within the top 10-20 best players in the history of the NBA. My overall point is that as long as people can find a better balance in discussing this popular topic, anyone should be free to have different opinions when it comes to who they think is the greatest player of all time.

It’s okay to particularly not like a player for many reasons especially as a fan of another team; however, the issue forms when people come off as really negative when voicing their opinions, almost disrespecting the greatness of these players.

At the end of the day, there doesn’t have to be a specific set of players that can only be the GOAT. All the legends that have graced the floor should always be deeply indebted for their contributions and efforts to the game of basketball. All of the best players are all capable of competing against one another and their talent shouldn't be minimized by fans just because they think their opinions are the absolute truth.