There is no doubt that Michael Jordan and LeBron James are two of the best players the league has ever seen, and are undoubtedly the most talked about when it comes to the GOAT debate. While several players can be mentioned in the same conversation as MJ and LeBron, they are perhaps NBA legends such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Larry Bird, or well-established active NBA superstars such as Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. However, who would have thought that an NBA rookie would be under the spotlight within his first year in the league?

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan have a legacy that many can only dream about. However, it seems like a particular Indiana Pacers star has decided to take on the GOATs. Be it challenging ‘King James’ or surpassing ‘His Airness’, this 20-year-old player is doing it all in under 12 months.

NBA rookie dethrones Michael Jordan

The Indiana Pacers selected Canadian basketball star Bennedict Mathurin as the 6th overall pick during the 2022 NBA draft. It’s only been about four months since the 6’6″ star debuted in his first game and he is already matching up to Hall of Famer Michael Jordan. Months after playing his debut game against Jordan’s former team, the Washington Wizards, Mathurin has already proven his worth by surpassing MJ in the off-the-bench PPG scoring leaders list.

Mathurin is now in the top five career-high PPG rankings, just behind Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal. The Pacers guard has played just 40 games so far and is currently averaging 17.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists while coming off the bench. That is 0.8 more than the six-time NBA champion who had a career-high 16.7 points in the league’s history.

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As if taking down one arguable GOAT was not enough, the Pacers rookie has set his sights on Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.

Mathurin issues a challenge to LeBron James

Hours before getting selected by the Indiana Pacers, Mathurin showed just how confident he is about his skills as a basketball player. During an interview with Ben Golliver of The Washington Post, the Montreal native expressed his desire to face the four-time NBA champion on the court.

“A lot of people say he’s great. I want to see how great he is. I don’t think anybody is better than me. He’s going to have to show me he’s better than me,” Mathurin told WP.

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It seems like Mathurin is already aiming to go after the biggest names in the league. While he may have surpassed MJ, do you think he is capable enough to establish himself as one of the greats in the future? Let us know in the comments below.