If you were to do a survey of which 2 NBA superstars get named most as the GOAT in 2023, you will most likely have Michael Jordan and Lebron James leading the pack by a high margin. Both guys dominated their eras with Jordan getting the reputation as having the best killer mentality and winning 6 finals in a row while Lebron is labelled as the best all-around player to ever touch a ball. But there are also other guys worthy of having the GOAT title. Obviously Steph Curry is a player named a lot more now through his incredible shooting and winning in the last years, but also a guy like Larry Bird is named from the older folks. My GOAT is Larry Bird. I'm maybe a bit biased since I'm from Boston and grew up with him, but his winning, incredible shooting, passing, rebounding and versatility really stood out for a guy who at first glance wouldn't win any positive words from people who had never seen him play making that first impression of how he looked on the court physically. Many have stated that Larry Bird belongs to the greatest shooters of all-time while Steph Curry is without a doubt the greatest shooter of all-time being the NBA's all-time three point leader and having shot 40% or better in 12 seasons while Bird only did it 6 times in his career. One has to mention though that Bird won 3 NBA three point shooting contests at the Allstar game to Curry's 2 wins. When you ask the young basketball hoopers of today, you will get Lebron as the GOAT and rarely Michael Jordan. I had to ask young FC Bayern Munich phenom Ivan Kharchenkov (198-SG-2006) a question that should of received a lightening answer, but didn't. I remember his NBBL (U-19) coach Paulo Prestes telling me some months ago that you have to shut off the lights in the gym, or he will stay for hours just putting up shots. I asked Ivan with whom he would rather be locked in the gym with Larry Bird or Steph Curry? He let out a loud ohhhhh. I was expecting a rapid Curry, but no. He actually had to think about it. 'That is a tough question. Steph Curry is the greatest shooter to ever touch a basketball. His long range shots are amazing. Larry Bird is old school and had a great mentality. But I would have to take Steph Curry', stressed Ivan Kharchenkov. Ivan Kharchenkov has a little old school in him for thinking for a moment about Bird and Curry with whom he would want to be locked in a gym with.
The 16 year old German who will turn 17 on September 20th still has a long way to go to be able to shoot three's the way Bird And Curry have, but so far the young kid has continued to develop very well as he goes into his first complete pro season with FC Bayern Munich. He comes from a very well known family as his father Alexander won the World Cup Gold in 1974 Over USA and John Lucas and his half brother Nikita played 20 years professionally including 6 years in the easyCredit BBL. Ivan who is a mix between Luka Doncic, Devin Booker and Steph Curry began his basketball career at TS Jahn Munich. He already displayed in young years that he had the absolute scoring gene scoring 84 points against Bamberg at age 12 and when he was 11 years old scored 105 points of his team's 107 points in a contest. He came to the mighty FC Bayern Munich in 2017. He made his pro debut in the 2021-2022 season only 5 days after turning 15 scoring 16 points against Pro B team EPG Baskets Koblenz. He had no difficulty adjusting to new levels playing against men as in the Pro B he averaged 12.7ppg, 1.8rpg, FGP: 52.7%, 3PT: 32.8%, FT: 75.0%, and in the NBBL (U-19) averaged 10.9ppg, 3.1rpg, 1.4apg, 1.9spg, FGP: 52.8%, 3PT: 19.5%, FT: 80.6%. Unfortunately for him his season was cut short as he sustained an injury and missed the second half of the season. In the Pro B he scored in double figures in 9 games including 25 points against Frankfurt and in the NBBL scored 22 points against Bamberg. He came back fit in the summer and helped lead the German U-16 national team to a Gold medal in the Division B at the Euro championships in Sofia, Bulgaria averaging 13.3ppg, 5.5rpg, 2.9apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 51.9%, 3PT: 28.6%, FT: 66.7%. He scored in double figures in 7 of 8 games at the U-16 Gold run and hit Romania for 23 points. He was named to the eurobasket.com first team
The 198cm shooting guard who already is a 3 level scorer and remembers American Omari Knox as being his toughest opponent in the Pro B returned back in the 2022-2023 season fully charged and ready to go. He upped his game in the Pro B scoring in double figures in his first 6 Pro B games including 21 points against Hanau and in the NBBL also found his groove scoring 17 points against Ibam and Jena. He made a half court shot in Frankfurt at the end of a loss. 'That shot is in my top 3 of all-time craziest shots. I also had a buzzer beater at the U-14 level and a three pointer and 1 bank shot for the lead in another game', said Ivan Kharchenkov. In between he made his easyCredit BBL debut with FC Bayern Munich against MBC scoring 5 points in 4 minutes in a 82-69 victory becoming the youngest player to ever play a BBL game. But then came the unexpected again as he injured himself again on November 27th in a NBBL game against the Tornados. He then was out 4 months. 'It was tough suffering another injury again. I did the best I could of the situation. I took that opportunity to finish Real school. The most important thing that I took from that injury was that I really have to learn to respect my body. You can't play without your body working', stressed Ivan Kharchenkov. He returned as good as new from injury and played 3 more Pro B games and possibly had his best all around game so far in the Pro B hammering Speyer with 26 points and adding 7 boards, 5 dimes and 3 steals. He also played 2 more BBL games including having a superb game against the EWE Baskets scoring 13 points in 19 minutes including dropping 3 three's. 'I have great memories of that game. I was in the starting 5 and Dewayne Russell scored 39 points. I remember wanting to be solid on defense and do my job and on offense be ready to shoot', said Ivan Kharchenkov. He knows that that game was vital in his development, but knows that he still has a long way to go. 'I need to go step by step. That was a little step in the right direction', stressed Ivan Kharchenkov. He ended the NBBL season with a real highlight playing in the NBBL top 4 in Frankfurt. But he didn't leave Frankfurt with a medal, but instead losing against eventual winner Alba Berlin 83-66 having a 12/4/4 game. You could read the disappoint on his face after the loss. 'I took 3 days off after the loss. I was very sad and mad the first day, but soon after back in the gym playing', added Ivan Kharchenkov.
The talented German who lists Jordan, Curry, Lebron and Kobe on his personal NBA Mount Rushmore came to the 2023 European Championships as the captain of the U-18 team. They came into the tournament on fire beating Croatia and Poland without problems. The wins continued against Turkey, Sweeden and Greece. In the game against Greece, he exploded with 27 points on 8/13 shooting and was 9/11 from the free throw line. 'I rate this as one of my top 5 best games ever. I actually missed my first 3 shots. But then I began to play. Everything began to fall with the flow of the game', commented Ivan Kharchenkov. But in the semi-finals they had to counter with Serbia who was playing at home. They had played them before the tournament and knew what to expect, but just couldn't execute the game plan the way they wanted to. 'We never found our offensive game. I felt like we played pretty good defense. They went on a run which we stopped, but we just couldn't score enough points to win. I felt we were well prepared for their physicality', stated Ivan Kharchenkov. Despite the tough loss, Germany stayed calm and gave all they had against France winning 67-59 and taking home the Bronze medal. He had a 11/4/2 game, but was only 4/17 from the field and couldn't hit the ocean from down town going 1/9. 'I have to admit that I was a little nervous. It was a big game. I didn't make shots early so I played for the team. Guys like Anderson, Kayil and Gruenloh took responsibility. I came back strong in the second half and hit key shots', added Ivan Kharchenkov. Standing there having the Bronze medal is a great feeling and one that he will remember for his entire life. It wasn't the Gold, but a medal is a medal and it was still a massive achievement. 'My first feeling getting the medal was wow, we are the third best team in Europe. We proved everyone wrong', said Ivan Kharchenkov.
For the explosive guard who won't shy away from bullying on the court felt that the team was very special. 'We had a real good preparation going into the Euro championships. We had a tight game against Italy and had problems with Serbia. We went into the tournament with the attitude of defense first and making the first punch. We didn't have many individual strengths, but played together as a team which was most important. We were like a family and we fought hard', expressed Ivan Kharchenkov. Head coach Christian Held was also vital in the success as he told the team from day 1 exactly what their path would be. 'He was very direct. He knew exactly what he wanted from us. He wanted us to play effective defense and play as a team. I got total trust from him', said Ivan Kharchenkov. Team Germany had key offensive players like new Vechta guard Jack Kayil and future Michigan (NCAA) guard Christian Anderson as well as Johan Gruenloh who was the defensive stopper that almost averaged 4 blocks per game. 'Johan was very important on defense. He was a bit nervous in the first games and was in foul trouble. But in the important games, he came through for us. He is a big time defender, roller and team player. He did so much for the team. Jack is always 1A on defense. When he is free he shoots and knows when to find his teammates. Christian doesn't have it easy in today's age with his height, but he is an excellent shooter. It is unfair to compare him to Dennis Schroeder at that age. They are different players. All 3 players were always able to take responsibility when we needed it', warned Ivan Kharchenkov. He finished playing 7 games averaging 17.1ppg, 4.9rpg, 2.0apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 53.4%, 3PT: 27.3%, FT: 84.6% and was named to the eurobasket.com first team. 'I don't have any real complaints about my game. I felt like I was as consistent as I could be. I gave confidence to my teammates in that they knew they could rely on my scoring. I know that I didn't play as well against France, but other than that my game was ok', stated Ivan Kharchenkov.
The versatile guard who lists Dewayne Russell as his toughest foe on the court that he has played against so far in the easyCredit BBL is excited about the new season. He finished school and now can focus 100% on FC Bayern Munich. He will train every day with the easyCredit BBL and earn minutes as well as play Pro B. What are his goals this season and will he play NBBL? 'I want to breathe some BBL air and in the Pro B I want to help the younger guys. This will be my third season in the Pro B and I want to be a good role model. I'm not sure if I will play NBBL, but I think I could', said Ivan Kharchenkov. He showed already flashes last season of his abilities at the easyCredit BBL, but knows exactly what he has to work on so he can continue to develop his game and get more minutes. 'I have to learn to play team defense first. That is a big focus of mine. On offense, I have to work on off ball and making smart decisions', stressed Ivan Kharchenkov. He will be learning from coaching legend Pablo Laslo who has won 2 Euroleague titles with Real Madrid. The kid is remaining very realistic and has no expectations. 'All I want is a fair chance. I have to show him what I can do. He came to Munich to win', warned Ivan Kharchenkov. 'Ivan left a great impression at the Euro. He is very developed for his age. He was captain as being one of the youngest on the team. That says a lot. He has a very professional work ethic and works very hard in practice. He did a great job leading the team. All around he gave a very positive impression. It wasn't always easy for him in the last years due to injury. I saw good development this summer from him', stressed German U-18 head coach Christian Held. He is a massive German talent, but so far his name hasn't popped up on any NBA Mock Drafts. One guy who's name has is Spanish sensation Hugo Gonzalez of Real Madrid. For some strange reason, both guys haven't met yet on the court. 'I saw him play at some U-12 and U-14 tournaments, but never played against him. I think we have a similar style. He is more athletic and I shoot a bit better. I would really like to play against him', added Ivan Kharchenkov. Wouldn't it be a delight if they would actually see some minutes in a Euroleague game this season? So what about the GOAT question? Will Ivan Kharchenkov continue to have that old school vibe or will he remain with Lebron James as his GOAT? 'Michael Jordan is my GOAT. He was unstoppable. No matter what you tried against him, if it was food poisoning, double teams or hard fouls, you couldn't stop him', warned Ivan Kharchenkov. You just have to love the old school touch of Ivan Kharchenkov. How often in 2023 do you see a 17 year kid pick Jordan over Lebron? It just isn't happening.
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