LeBron James’ Former Teammate Does 180 in GOAT Debate, Apologizes to Michael Jordan

LeBron James’ Former Teammate Does 180 in GOAT Debate, Apologizes to Michael Jordan originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

For the past decade or so, the NBA Greatest Player of All Time (GOAT) debate has largely revolved around two players: LeBron James and Michael Jordan.

Some choose Jordan because he helped the Chicago Bulls win six NBA titles in the 1990s, winning Finals MVP all six times. He is also a five-time NBA MVP and a 10-time scoring champion.

Others choose James because of his profound dominance over the sport for the last two decades. The Los Angeles Lakers forward is a four-time NBA champion, four-time regular-season MVP and the all-time leading scorer with 42,184 career points.

The GOAT conversation has also been a popular topic for ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins to discuss with his fellow broadcasters. Perkins, 40, has been a longtime supporter of James after playing with him in 2014-15 and 2017-18 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

However, Perkins' thoughts on James recently changed when ESPN broadcaster Stephen A. Smith began a small feud with James over Smith voicing his opinion on Lakers guard Bronny James, who is LeBron James' eldest son.

Perkins ultimately sided with Smith because of his close relationship with him, as they are both ESPN analysts. Furthermore, Perkins has also begun showing more support for Jordan while becoming more critical toward James.

“Watching ‘The Last Dance’ for the 100th time and still mad at myself for saying [LeBron] is the 🐐,” Perkins posted on his Instagram story on Friday.

Prior to his post, Perkins had a strong relationship with the Jordan brand, but he thinks that ended after he showed support for James because he used to receive boxes of Jordan sneakers in the mail. However, Perkins claimed in March that he hasn’t received any shoes from the brand even though he still wears their sneakers regularly. 

“God, I miss those boxes of Js at my front door,” he concluded. “Can someone please tell MJ I’m sorry, man 🤣🤣🤣.”

Related: Kendrick Perkins Calls Out Kevin Durant’s ‘Drunken Contradiction’ in NBA Debate

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 12, 2025, where it first appeared.