Hall of Fame NBA player Charles Barkley weighed in on who's the greatest of all time (GOAT) between Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady and NBA legend Michael Jordan. In an interview on ESPN 1000's "Waddle and Silvy," Barkley was asked about his take on the GOAT debate involving Brady and Jordan, and he gave an interesting comment on the matter. For quite some time, Barkley considered Jordan as the GOAT. Still, he issued a different pronouncement on the program after Brady won his seventh Super Bowl ring following the Buccaneers' 31-9 win over the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Per TMZ Sports, Barkley said it would be hard to put anybody above Jordan, whom he considers as the best player in 4 out of 7 games. However, Barkley said the difference between Jordan and Brady is that every time the veteran quarterback played a football game in the playoffs, it's considered Game 7 because it is a knockout game. The Hall of Fame power forward said Brady's 34 playoff wins could be regarded as 34 Game 7s in the NBA playoffs. Brady has played in 10 Super Bowl games in his career, nine during his two-decade stint with the New England Patriots, where he won six Lombardi trophies.
Barkley amazed with Brady's latest feat
Barkley also expressed amazement over Brady's success in his first year with the Buccaneers and for his decision to continue playing despite winning his seventh Super Bowl ring, which surpassed Jordan's six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls.
Barkley said Brady could have performed the "biggest mic drop" in the history of the sport if he decides to retire after beating Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints, Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, and Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs in the same postseason. Including the Super Bowl, Brady led the Buccaneers to eight straight wins, including their last four assignments in the regular season.
Bucs eyeing Gabbert as possible Brady successor
Moments after leading the Buccaneers to their first Super Bowl title since 2002, the 43-year-old Brady declared he would return next season to finish the two-year deal worth $50 million that he signed with Tampa Bay. Brady also declared that he's considering playing past 45 years old if his body and performance allow him to.
In case Brady leaves the Buccaneers after the end of his deal, Buccaneer's general manager Jason Licht said they might tap backup Blaine Gabbert as his successor. "I'm not going to rule anything out right now," Licht said when asked about Gabbert on the "Pewter Report" podcast Thursday, per a report by Dan Martin of the New York Post. Despite Gabbert's limited action this season, Licht said he likes what he has seen from the 31-year-old quarterback.
