What's the Best Way to Assess Who is the GOAT - Not the Most Popular or Known

[A Mad Chinaman]

Submitting a "standard" that some NBA pundit uses but not mentioned because it involves talking about players that many won't know and/or have not seen

The "Standard" - how much is the player than the rest of the league and/or whose performance has forced the NBA to change the rules

George Mikan - his presence influenced attendance, his states are clearly different than the others and the league had to change the rules

Wilt Chamberlain - he still has many NBA records that he established many decades ago. League changed some rules in their attempt to compensate/adjust/help other players playing against him

Kareem - he had held many recirds until recently and again forced the league to implement new rules

MJ's stats were great but not completely beyond others. His drive to compete and win was the hallmark of his career, like it is with the Black Mamba (attribute that is sadly missing from 99% of all of today's NBA players)

Magic/Bird/MJ were great players that played as the NBA became a "legitimate" sport that attract great interest in the days where social media provided far greater promotion/awareness than previous generations (i.e. how many people saw Wilt score 100 points)

[venturalakersfan]

There is none, it is completely objective. The game today is nothing like it was in 2000, which was nothing like it was in 1980.
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RIP mom. 11-21-1933 to 6-14-2023.