Many NBA fans think Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player to ever live. But the Chicago Bulls legend didn’t even make it into Klay Thompson’s all-time starting five.
Perhaps the most worn out topic within the discourse around the NBA is the GOAT debate. In 2026, the conversation often boils down to, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, with some shouts for Kobe Bryant.
As LeBron’s legendary career continues into his 40s, many younger fans support his case. However, for a large majority of longtime fans of the league, Michael Jordan’s status as GOAT is untouchable.
Every once in a while, the NBA’s biggest names will weigh in on the discussion. And Klay Thompson’s recent list of his all-time starting five will not have gone down well with Jordan fans.
Klay Thompson had Kobe Bryant and LeBron James over Michael Jordan in his all-time NBA starting five
As a four-time NBA champion himself, Thompson’s takes catch the attention of fans. During a recent stream with PlaqueBoyMax, Klay named his ideal all-time NBA starting five.
Naturally, he picked Stephen Curry at point guard. This is almost a no-brainer. However, in the two positions MJ could have slotted into, he picked Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
“I gotta go Kobe at the two,” Thompson said. “I love Mike but I just gotta go… I just grew up watching Kobe. Got to play against him… Love MJ, but I’m gonna go Kobe just because that’s my era.”
Thompson made sure to shout out the 6-time champion, it’s not an easy name to leave off of any list. And he does admit to some personal bias while picking Bryant over him.
In any case, not having arguably the league’s biggest superstar in that starting five is wild, to say the least. Klay might want to steel himself for a little bit of online trolling after this take.
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