Legendary Olympian Michael Phelps sides with Michael Jordan in renewed NBA GOAT debate

The 2025-26 NBA play is successful afloat swing, renewing the long-running statement implicit the league’s top player.

In the past 2 decades, overmuch of the often spirited treatment has centered connected Michael Jordan and four-time league MVP LeBron James.

Decorated erstwhile U.S. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps suggested the six-time NBA champion Jordan was the wide person successful the league’s hierarchy. 

"[No.] 23, the original, the archetypal GOAT," helium replied, erstwhile asked astatine the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year ceremonial to take betwixt the Chicago Bulls fable and the Los Angeles Lakers superstar.

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LeBron James, left, and Michael Jordan be the 2022 NBA All-Star Game astatine Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Feb. 20, 2022, successful Cleveland, Ohio. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)

Phelps said helium drew inspiration from Jordan’s crippled and applied it to swimming. 

"For me, Michael Jordan was ever the 1 I looked up to and wanted to bash what helium did successful hoops successful the athletics of swimming. So, Jordan."

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Phelps besides picked Jordan erstwhile asked to determine betwixt Jordan and 15-time large play champion Tiger Woods. 

Serena Williams, who won the U.S. Open singles rubric six times during her storied career, besides could not dethrone Jordan from Phelps’ list. "Going to accidental MJ for the sweep."

WNBA icon Diana Taurasi and seven-time Super Bowl victor Tom Brady were besides compared to Jordan, with some falling abbreviated — successful Phelps’ opinion.

Phelps' sanction was adjacent mentioned, but helium admitted that adjacent helium could not measurement up to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer.

Retired U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps says six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan is the NBA's GOAT. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

"For me, helium was my puerility idol. Again, watching him connected and disconnected the court, what helium did, however helium handled himself," Phelps said. "No substance what helium went through, erstwhile helium was connected the court, everything was near behind, and helium was capable to beryllium who helium was trying to be… the champion mentation of himself. There were nary excuses and, for me, that's benignant of however I modeled my career." 

Phelps won 28 Olympic medals — the astir of each clip by a azygous athlete. He is wide considered the top Olympian successful history.

In 1996, the NBA unveiled its 50 Greatest Players list, recognizing the apical players successful league past up to that point.

The 2025-26 NBA play is successful afloat swing, renewing the long-running statement implicit the league’s top subordinate of each time. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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The database became known arsenic the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. A quarter-century later, the league debuted different day list, its 75th Anniversary Team, featuring legendary athletes from antithetic eras.

Notably, the database of names was not ranked successful immoderate circumstantial order.

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