Often times, the debate surrounding the greatest player of all time (GOAT) can overshadow what's going on in the NBA today.
Players of today and yesterday spend countless hours debating their choices: on blogs, podcasts, and articles.
After listening to these endless debates, perhaps more people should go the route of former player Baron Davis. In a recent appearance on the Boardroom Podcast, Davis said he refuses to get involved.
He has a better way of evaluating his colleagues.
“We don't talk about GOAT,” Davis says, “I always say we're all artists and painters, so how can you compare who's the greatest of all time? You don't compare painters, you just evaluate the art form.”
Davis was the third overall draft pick out of UCLA in 1999. He had some of his best years as an All-Star with Charlotte and the New Orleans Hornets in 2002 and 2004, and could have had an even better career had knee injuries not slowed him down.
Davis averaged 16.1 points and 7.2 assists in 14 seasons.
Now that his career is over, he wants to look back at the greatness of LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. There's no point in comparing them, especially since they competed in different eras.
“Basketball has always been an art form to me,” Davis said. “Every time I step on the court, I get to paint a picture.”
Shandell Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day NBA and can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com.
