Charles Barkley Explains Why He Thinks Tom Brady Is the GOAT over Michael Jordan

Steve Luciano/Associated Press

Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley said Tom Brady should have retired after leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a win over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV, which Barkley believes moved the quarterback ahead of NBA legend Michael Jordan in the “greatest of all time” debate.

Barkley told ESPN Radio Chicago (h/t TMZ Sports) the one-and-done nature of the NFL playoffs is the reason he’s finally moved somebody ahead of MJ in his personal rankings.

“It’s hard for me to put anybody above Michael, but Michael was always gonna be the best player four out of seven games,” he said. “But, the difference is every time Tom Brady played a football game, it was a Game 7. I never had thought about it like that. I mean, you think about that. Every football game in the playoffs is a Game 7.”

Brady now owns seven Super Bowl titles after winning six across two decades with the New England Patriots before signing with the Bucs last offseason. No other NFL player in history has more than five. Jordan finished his NBA career with six with the Chicago Bulls.

The 43-year-old California native has shown no signs of slowing down and confirmed during the Super Bowl MVP trophy presentation that he’s planning to return in 2021.

Barkley said he believes Brady should have considered retirement after the Buccaneers beat some of the best quarterbacks in history en route to the championship:

“I can’t believe he’s not retired, I’m not gon’ lie. Because if you do what he just did, beat Drew Brees in New Orleans, beat Aaron Rodgers at Lambeau Field, and then beat Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl, that would be the greatest ‘drop the mic’ ever in sports.

“That would be the greatest mic dropped in the history of civilization. That’s how cool that would be—to beat those three guys and walk away on No. 7, that would be one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen in my life.”

It’s a fair point, but Brady is one of sports’ ultimate competitors, and it would have been difficult for him to call it quits while still one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks and adding titles to his GOAT resume.

His presence will once again put Tampa Bay among the league’s top contenders heading into 2021.