The Greatest Debate Essay

Nate Baynes

Tracy Tabaczynski

English 1020

31 March 2023

The Greatest Debate

The game of basketball was invented and pioneered by James Naismith around 200 years ago, and ever since then, select people have become incredibly skillful and have learned how to master the game that Naismith created. Since the beginning of competitive basketball in the National Basketball Association (NBA), thousands of players have appeared in at least one NBA game, but only a small percentage of them have ever been considered one of the greats. In the more recent decades, the argument surrounding the Greatest Player of All Time, or GOAT, has become increasingly relevant as the game sees the likes of Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Giannis

The MVP is consensually known as the most prestigious award to be handed out to an NBA player, as only a mere 35 men have ever won the award, and only 15 have won two or more. Some of the notable players with multiple MVP awards include Kareem Abdul-Jabaar with a record six MVPs, Bill Russell and Michael Jordan with five, and Lebron James and Wilt Chamberlain with four. Staying consistent with the topic of debates, multiple MVP awards have been debated, as some people believe they have been given to the wrong player. For example, in 2006, Steve Nash won the prestigious award by scoring 18.8 points and 11.6 assists in that season. Some fans believe that LeBron James, who averaged 31.4 points, 7 rebounds, and 6.6 assists, should have won the award. Another debated award was LeBron James' 2010 MVP award, as Greg Cally from Bleacher Report stated, ‘As we know, hindsight is 20-20. It is questionable whether the 2010 MVP award was incorrectly awarded... but it is hard to argue this after watching our 2010 MVP give up in the biggest game five of his career and commit nine turnovers in the following elimination game.’ Lastly, the MVP award holds so much value in the public's eyes because of the dominance throughout an entire season that the MVP award