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Sep 29, 2025; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) during media day at UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Lakers' Austin Reaves Reveals NBA's GOAT Without Hesitation

Originally posted on Los Angeles Lakers on SI
By Nelson Espinal | Last updated Oct 4, 2025 3:30 PM ET

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves made it clear who he thinks is the greatest basketball player of all time.

Reaves has played four seasons with LeBron James, arguably the greatest of all time, which has given the guard a solid understanding of what The King is capable of.

Sharing the court with James makes Reaves certainly biased to a certain extent, but his experience and age provide a unique lens into how current-generation players view the discussion.

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The GOAT debate usually boils down to James versus Michael Jordan, whom older NBA fans often regard as the greatest player of all time. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell are occasionally floated, too.

For the 27-year-old Reaves, though, James takes the crown overall as the greatest player in the sport due to his longevity and his constant search for improvements.

“In my opinion, he's the best player to ever touch a basketball. He probably could have retired six years ago and people would still say the same thing," Reaves said on The Young Man and The Three podcast.

"He has enough money regardless of what he was saying on that podcast the other day," Reaves added. "He has enough money. The only reason he's still playing basketball, it’s because he loves the grind. He loves the game. He wants to continue to get better.

"Even when, you know, you're at that level, there's still things that he thinks he can work on to become a better player. I think that's the most incredible thing about him is how he conducts himself on and off the court.”

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Reaves' answer is hardly unexpected, especially since he will need to rely on James to pass him the ball.

Being on the same team as James but not considering him the greatest seems less than ideal for someone who shares a locker room with him.

Born During Michael Jordan's Last Bulls Playoff Run

Regardless, Reaves grew up watching James and missed out on Jordan's prime, likely altering his perception as well.

Reaves was born on May 29, 1998, in the midst of Jordan's final playoff push with the Chicago Bulls.

The debate tends to become anecdotal and based on what people observe in real time and at the point in their life when they witnessed the mentioned greatness.

LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan

With 21 All-NBA appearances, four NBA championships, four MVP awards, and 21 All-Star selections, James boasts an ultra-impressive resume marked by sustained excellence never before seen.

While he boasts the career-length argument, Jordan holds a dominant peak in his career that James cannot match.

Jordan won all six of his NBA Finals appearances, bringing home the title any time he got close.

Also, he holds arguably more iconic moments of hitting clutch shots. Meanwhile, James is burdened by a narrative that the great player lacks the "killer-instric" in clutch moments.