Matt Barnes says LeBron is the GOAT, but ranks MJ and Kobe ahead of him ‘when it comes to basketball’

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, former Lakers guard Kobe Bryant and former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan are all considered to be basketball royalty, and for good reason.

They have a countless amount of All-Star and All-NBA nods as well as a whopping 15 NBA titles between the three of them.

Former NBA forward Matt Barnes has Bryant, Jordan and James as his three greatest players of all time. Barnes also said that James is the G.O.A.T. in his eyes but has Bryant and Jordan over him “when it comes to basketball.”

“I feel the three greatest players of all time are MJ, Kob and Bron,” Barnes began. “So to me, you can throw any of those three up, and however you slot them I don’t have an issue with. It’s weird that I feel like outside the non-athlete media always kind of leaves Kob out of the top five or sometimes the top 10. And it’s crazy, because the guys that played with him or against him understand what he was about, understand that drive and that killer he had.

“But again, to me that’s not knocking because I think Kobe is ahead of Bron that doesn’t mean I dislike Bron. I think Bron is f—— incredible, and for him to still be doing what he’s done, and the doors he’s opened. And he’s got his son on the team, and he’s going to be the owner of the Vegas franchise when that s— happens. He’s done s— that we normally don’t get opportunities to do. So, I think as far as on and off the court, I think Bron is probably the all-time G.O.A.T. But I just think when it comes to basketball, I think it’s MJ, Kob and then Bron as a respectful third.”

It was reported multiple months back that James has expressed interest in owning an NBA franchise in Las Vegas. But commissioner Adam Silver poured cold water on the notion of an NBA team in the city when he claimed there won’t be an expansion squad in Las Vegas anytime soon.

James already has experience in being part of an ownership group for a professional sports team. Back in 2021, he became part owner of the MLB’s Boston Red Sox.

The NBA’s current oldest player is notable off the court for more than just his history in sports ownership, though. He’s also been nothing short of an admirable role model over the years.

Star players over the course of the NBA’s history have gotten bad publicity for getting in trouble with the law. But James has done a commendable job of not drawing negative attention to himself for decisions he’s made off the court.

The logic for putting Bryant and Jordan ahead of James when it comes to basketball might have something to do with the number of rings the 40-year-old has. While Bryant and Jordan won five and six championships during their NBA careers, respectively, James has just four to his name. He last won an NBA title with the Lakers in the year 2020.

But James still has time left to add to his collection of rings before his NBA career ends. The Lakers might have a shot at advancing deep into the 2025 NBA Playoffs now that guard Luka Doncic is in the fold to complement James.