James Worthy made his case for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the GOAT: 'How you gonna say, 'It's Michael.' Because you were born in 1995?'

Many fans often crown Michael Jordan as the GOAT without hesitation, citing his unprecedented dominance during the 1990s when he led the Chicago Bulls to two three-peats in eight years as the Finals MVP. 

However, while James Worthy appreciates the greatness of "His Airness," he sounded off on the opinion of those fans who discredit the longevity and reign of dominance of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar without even being aware of his career trajectory.

Worthy names Kareem as his GOAT

Fans often marvel at how MJ led UNC to a national championship in his freshman year and quickly transitioned to the NBA, going on to lead the league in scoring by his third campaign. However, "Cap's" collegiate and early success in the league was arguably even more extraordinary. 

At UCLA, Kareem Abdul Jabbar led the conference in both scoring and rebounding in all three seasons, won the Player of the Year honor twice, and captured the NCAA championship each year. Moreover, upon entering the NBA, he led the Milwaukee Bucks to their first-ever championship by winning the regular season and Finals MVP awards.

Highlighting the same, "Big Game James" emphasized how Abdul Jabbar's career was not just about an incredible start but sustained excellence. At 37 years old, the 7'2" center averaged 25.7 points and 9 rebounds to win the Finals MVP over prime Magic Johnson, Kevin McHale, and Larry Bird. 

Furthermore, then at the age of 40, Kareem had the capability to average 29.9 points per game and average 14.1 points in the postseason to help the Purple and Gold win a championship. This, as per Worthy, made the 19-time All-Star the unprecedented GOAT.

"How you gonna say whose the greatest without seeing Kareem's full body of work? How you gonna say, 'It's Michael.' Because you were born in 1995? Or '80, still you haven't seen people's full bodywork. People who hadn't seen Kareem, they need to stay out of the question here unless you have seen all that," Worthy said. "To me, Kareem (is the GOAT). Not too many people won three national championships in college and held the (scoring) record for 39 years without shooting a three. People say, 'He wasn't athletic. Blah Blah.' Kareem and Wilt (Chamberlain) were extremely athletic."

Kareem deserves more recognition in the GOAT debate

Jordan loyalists often cite his perfect 6-0 record in the NBA Finals, paired with six Finals MVPs, as the ultimate GOAT credential. However, Kareem also claimed six NBA championships, even if he had endured four losses in the process. Additionally, from an individual standpoint, the latter's six MVP awards remain the most in NBA history, edging out Mike's five.

The Bulls superstar's two-way prowess is also hailed, as evidenced by leading the league in scoring 10 times and three times in steals. But "The Tower of Power," too, demonstrated dominance on both ends of the court. He led the league in scoring twice, blocks four times, and averaged a double-double for his 12 consecutive seasons.

So, even for those who blindly regard Michael as the GOAT of basketball, as James rightly stressed, Kareem's work ethic, body of work, and longevity demand him to deserve more recognition in the GOAT debate. From dominating at the start of his career to excelling in his late 30s and even 40s, the two-time Finals MVP set a standard that has yet to be matched in several areas of the game.