"Disrespectful to MJ and Kobe": Kelly Oubre Jr. lays bare blunt logic to ditch LeBron James from the GOAT debate

Philadelphia 76ers forward Kelly Oubre Jr. got a chance to share his opinion about the GOAT debate and surprisingly didn't acknowledge LeBron James. In a Wednesday interview, Oubre said that the difference in the game in the modern NBA makes it impossible and disrespectful to call other players great.

There's no denying that the game nowadays is different. However, Oubre sees it differently as he holds Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant in high regard. According to him, the difficulty in the modern era compared to the time when the two iconic shooting guards played is incomparable.

The Sixers forward did not mention James as a potential GOAT choice.

"This game today is a little bit more soft, to call anybody a GOAT nowadays is disrespectful to the hard-earned awards and accolades that Mike and Kobe have won," Oubre said.

There is truth in Oubre's statements as there's a stark difference in the players he mentioned. Jordan played in a more physical era of basketball, and Bryant also felt the impact of the physicality during his era. For the Sixers forward, he believes that stars in the modern era deal with softer defenses.

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Is LeBron James the Olympic GOAT for Team USA?

After the 2024 Paris Olympics, LeBron James' case for the Basketball Hall of Fame became more solidified. He has now won three Olympic gold medals in his career. James' recent accomplishment has tickled the question, "Is he the Olympic GOAT for the national team?"

Looking at his Olympic stints, he's won four medals since he joined the program in 2004. However, not all his medals are gold as the one he received with Team USA in the 2004 Greece Olympics was bronze.

This makes it even more interesting as his rival and Team USA teammate, Kevin Durant, has won the same amount of medals in the Olympics. The only difference is that all of Durant's medals are gold. Since he joined in the 2012 London Games, KD has consistently won the gold medal.

What's even more interesting is that Durant is now the all-time Team USA scoring leader, both the men's and women's. KD finished the recent Olympics with 435 points as he helped the national team capture another gold medal. The way that the star forward has played for the national team, it's hard not to deny him of the GOAT title.

Still, that doesn't mean that James' accomplishments aren't comparable to Durant's. The LA Lakers star was still able to leave a lasting impact on the international basketball scene.