[ImTellinTim]

I'm not sure the point of this discussion because obviously you would take LeBron based on pure athletic ability and upside. It's a no-brainier. But the history of all sports is littered with great talents that never transcended to GOAT status. This is an irrelevant discussion IMO.

EDIT: To add to ehh's post, MJ wasn't the first pick in his draft - this guy named Akeem Olajuwon was. At that point it was probably the right pick, and it turned out to be a great pick. So even in his draft year, you had this same question.