Michael Jordan's $12,000,000 ex-teammate mocks Nick Wright with 1 word for bold Patrick Mahomes claim

Patrick Mahomes is on the verge of his third Super Bowl title, which could put him in the echelon of the greatest athletes in American sports history. If he leads the Kansas City Chiefs to a win against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, Mahomes would pick up his fourth NFL title. It would further solidify his case as among the best ever across sports.

As Mahomes comes close to history, sports analyst Nick Wright made a claim about his place in sports history. According to Wright, Mahomes would be better than NFL legend Tom Brady and NBA greats Michael Jordan and LeBron James if he managed to win a three-peat this year.

“If Mahomes 3-peats, he's better than Brady, Lebron and Jordan,” said Wright in his "First Things Firsts" show.

Wright’s recent claim caught the attention of Michael Jordan’s former teammate Ron Harper, who commented on Wright’s statement with his one-word reaction.

“Smoking 🚬,” Harper said.

Harper, who has a net worth of $12 million, as per Celebrity Net Worth, has won five titles in his NBA career, including a three-peat from 1996 to 1998 with the Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

He also almost had another three-peat in the latter stage of his career as he was part of the LA Lakers’ 2000 and 2001 championship seasons, before retiring in 2003, the year the Lakers completed their own three-peat.

Harper’s comment comes as the neverending GOAT debates saw numerous new takes recently. This includes his former Bulls teammate Scottie Pippen, who neglected Jordan and LeBron in his GOAT choice, instead choosing Magic Johnson as his greatest ever.

Michael Jordan makes things clear about the GOAT debates in all sports

The GOAT debates have been a constant feature in sports, among fans and analysts alike, but it has never had any definite answer.

For Michael Jordan, who has long been in the conversation as the greatest athlete of all time, the GOAT debates are unfair, especially when athletes have not played in the same eras.

Talking to the "Cigar Aficionado" show in 2020, Jordan explained that the GOATs are only for fans and that no definite greatest of all time across any sport.

“First of all, you’re never going to say who is the greatest of all time. I think that’s more for PR. That's more for selling stories. To say that one is better than the other is a little bit unfair,” Jordan said.

"When you try to equate who is the greatest of all time, I think it’s unfair (to compare players across different eras)," Jordan added.

Michael Jordan on the GOAT debate: "You're never gonna say who's the greatest. That's more for selling stories. It's unfair [to compare players across different eras]." byu/ThorsBlammer innba

Jordan also used an analogy of golf greats Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, and him and Bill Russell, who won 11 rings, five more than Jordan, to make his point.

In basketball, Jordan and LeBron James have long been pitted against each other, but the two have not crossed paths on the NBA court since Jordan retired in 2003, one year before James entered the league.