Brandon Miller says Paul George is basketball GOAT, not LeBron James or Michael Jordan

As he prepares to be selected near the top of the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday night, Brandon Miller has named his basketball GOAT — Paul George, not LeBron James or Michael Jordan.

Yes, Miller said that the star LA Clippers forward is the greatest basketball player of all time in his eyes during his pre-draft media availability Wednesday morning, via Bally Sports:

Miller was responding to a question about whether the endless Jordan-LeBron “G.O.A.T.” debate is a tired one for him as a 20-year-old born during Jordan’s last-ever NBA season who also had a chance to recently meet the Chicago Bulls legend and outgoing Charlotte Hornets majority owner during the pre-draft process, as Charlotte holds the No. 2 overall pick.

“I actually don’t think LeBron is the G.O.A.T. of basketball,” Miller said. “My G.O.A.T. of basketball is actually Paul George. I grew up watching him. So it was never just LeBron.”

It was already public knowledge that Miller, considered the most NBA-ready prospect in all of college basketball last season as a star two-way forward for Alabama, patterned his own playing style after George. However, this was the first time fans learned truly how far Miller’s admiration for George goes.

Still, Miller is very aware of Jordan’s impact on basketball as a whole and was thrilled to get a chance to sit down with Jordan recently, even though the 60-year-old Hall of Famer apparently airballed a free-throw in his presence.

“That was my first time ever seeing him in person,” Miller said. “It’s definitely exciting. I mean, he’s Michael Jordan. The guy who jumped from the free-throw line, the shoes that we wear all the time. It was exciting to meet him.”

It appears the visit with Miller made an impact on Jordan as well, as the forward suddenly became the heavy betting favorite Tuesday evening to go No. 2 overall to Charlotte. Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak told reporters that Jordan will be making the final call on the pick despite being in the process of finalizing an agreement to sell his majority stake in the franchise to minority owners Gabe Plotkin and Daniel Sundheim.

Still, whatever impression Jordan made on Miller seemingly was not enough to vault the six-time NBA champion above Paul George in Miller’s own GOAT rankings.

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