Hakeem Olajuwon did not sugarcoat his answer when asked to weigh in on the GOAT debate during a 2015 interview.

At that time, LeBron James was dominating the league after winning two championships and making four consecutive NBA Finals appearances with the Miami Heat. Being only 29 at the time — the same age when Michael Jordan recorded his first three-peat with the Chicago Bulls — people felt James could even match Jordan’s six championships.

But even if he did that, Olajuwon wouldn’t put the two on the same level.

“When people start comparing him with Jordan, then that’s not a fair comparison. Jordan was a far more superior player in a very, very tough league, and very, very creative,” the two-time NBA champion told CNBC’s Worldwide Exchange. “That’s not taking away anything from LeBron because he is a great player, but it is not a fair comparison because Jordan is a far superior player.”

Hakeem played against Mike and trained LeBron

The Houston Rockets selected Olajuwon with the first pick in the 1984 NBA Draft. That same year, Jordan went third overall to the Bulls.

Hakeem played Michael 23 times during his NBA career, winning 13 of those matchups. Still, Jordan was great in their head-to-head games, averaging 30.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 3.0 steals per contest.

Meanwhile, Olajuwon retired after the 2001-02 season, two years before James jumped from high school to the NBA. However, he got to see his game firsthand when the latter flew to Houston to train with him during the summer of 2011.

James not only wanted to learn Olajuwon’s footwork and moves but also his championship mindset.

“He was so determined,” the legendary big man said. “That’s number one. He was always saying, ‘I’m here.’ That pushes me. When somebody wants it so much and is so eager … wow. I was very happy because I knew I could help him…I could see when he left the ranch, his excitement was high and he was ready. “I thought, ‘He has completed his game. He feels that. He believes that.”

A lot has changed since then

James returned better than ever. He won three NBA championships in the next five seasons and was the back-to-back league MVP in 2012 and 2013. The third of three NBA titles was won in 2016 after he returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Since then, James has added a fourth NBA championship to his resume, the inaugural In-Season tournament championship and MVP, plus countless records that speak to his unmatched longevity in the league.

In 2023, he broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record and continues to add to his total, as he prepares to enter his 23rd season in the Association.

But while James may have even surpassed Jordan in terms of career achievements, that should not change Olajuwon’s GOAT pick. For all of LeBron’s greatness, most people, former players especially, still share Hakeem’s view.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 13, 2025, where it first appeared.