The Inanity of the 6–0 Argument (2024)

I believe that LeBron James is the greatest player in the history of the National Basketball Association. From my perspective, I believe no other basketball player has dominated at the same level that James has had for this longevity. However, with this said, I am also a person who respects others’ opinions and am curious to understand their reasoning behind who they believe is the G.O.A.T. For example, if you believe Player X is the greatest, I will not attempt to change your mind since that is your opinion.

Many people have their opinions on who the G.O.A.T is whether it be Kareem, Wilt, Bill Russell, etc. However, for the most part, many believe that either LeBron James or Michael Jordan is the G.O.A.T. I will focus on those two but not dive deep on what the two have accomplished nor their stats nor their impact. Instead, I will look at the one argument that people love to use in this debate and how it, to an extent, nettles me. That argument, of course, is the 6–0 argument.

It is a known fact that Michael Jordan went an impressive 6–0 in the NBA Finals through his 15-year career. Meanwhile, LeBron James has gone 4–6 in the finals through year 17. While these are both legendary accomplishments, some people try to penalize LeBron for accomplishing this as if it was bad to make the finals.

Here’s what I mean; some people try to degrade LeBron’s legacy by citing how he was a “loser” in the finals while MJ was a “winner.” Now some people will say “How many times has MJ played the Warriors?” but to be honest it’s not even that. It’s the fact that people are trying to punish LeBron for making it to the finals for basically this past decade. Seriously, I don’t understand this narrative.

These same people say that LeBron cannot even approach Jordan because of his losing record. Well, the fact of the matter is that Michael Jordan failed to make an NBA final till his SEVENTH season. Meanwhile, LeBron James made the Finals in his FOURTH season. Now I can already see how people are saying, “LeBron didn’t make the playoffs his first two seasons” but Jordan also didn’t make the playoffs in Washington. I mean at the end of the day, it is the greatest basketball career of all time not the greatest six years of all time so longevity matters. Plus, that was Jordan’s 15th season where he wasn’t winning games while this is LeBron’s 17th season where he has won a title.

Simply put, I don’t understand how LeBron losing finals can hurt his legacy. In any way, it should be helping his legacy since making the finals is an accomplishment in itself. I mean the NBA awards both finals participants a trophy for their hard work. Imagine going to Tokyo next year; Would you rather win six gold medals or four gold and six silver medals?

The whole 6–0 Jordan argument has got to stop. Bluntly put, the 6–0 notion is not something which people should be using when comparing Jordan to others.