John Stockton, a former point guard for the Utah Jazz, is among the greatest players in NBA history. The 6’1″ guard leads the NBA in steals and assists all-time by such a large margin that some refer to them as unbreakable records.

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But, in no order, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant immediately spring to mind when discussing the greatest of all time. Gonzaga product Stockton responded, “None of the three,” when asked who his all-time favorite is.

Stockton said, “Well, I wouldn’t use those three. Some of those three or one of those three wouldn’t be even in my Top 5. I hate that question, and I get asked it all the time. Who are you guys… who is anybody to say ‘Well, it’s either of those three’?”

LeBron James , Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant

Why does the debate involve MJ, Bron, and Kobe?

Many people believe that Michael Jordan is the best basketball player of all time. In eight years, from 1991 to 1998, Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles. He went 6-0 in the NBA Finals. In 1988, he was awarded the Defensive Player of the Year trophy in addition to five MVP awards and six Finals MVPs.

LeBron, meanwhile, is thought to be MJ’s main rival in the never-ending argument. In addition to holding multiple longevity records and being the all-time NBA leader in scoring, King James is a four-time MVP and champion. Conversely, Kobe was the Los Angeles Lakers’ five-time champion and MJ’s twin brother. But according to Stockton, it’s not one of them.

Lebron James, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant

What did Stockton say?

“Wilt Chamberlain, they changed rules to negate how dominant he was. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the leading scorer and shot blocker in the history of the game for 40 years, is it? Now I know LeBron passed him and things like that, but he passed him with three-point lines and a change of rules. There are so many guys that I would put in that handful first five, and I’m not certain that the guys that are suggested are always the ones that I would put in there with them,” added Stockton.

Is Stockton jealous of Michael Jordan?

Legends Wilt and Kareem compelled the NCAA and NBA to alter the rules of the game to limit their dominance. In addition, Chamberlain had an absurd average and even scored 100 points in a game. Before King James recently surpassed Abdul-Jabbar, the league’s all-time scoring leader for more than 40 decades, Abdul-Jabbar held the record for the most MVP awards—six in all.

According to Stockton, one of Kobe, Bron, and MJ doesn’t even rank in his Top 5. That guy is most likely LeBron or Kobe, and both can be convincingly claimed. However, when it comes to Jordan, it’s difficult to keep MJ out of the GOAT discussion. Perhaps Stockton is still resentful of the Bulls for losing two Finals to them.