At present, the term ‘G.O.A.T.’ (Greatest Of All Time) has become widely known and used. In fact it’s become so commonplace that it has described everything from Samuel L. Jackson's favorite Christmas flick to Conan O'Brien's comedy chops. And that’s not even skimming the surface of musicians, sports or the ongoing GOAT basketball debate. Regardless, it wasn’t until today did I know LL Cool J takes claim for coining the superlative nickname.
The history of the topic and LL Cool J’s connection to the moniker surfaced during Late Night with Seth Meyers. After discussing the rapper-and-actor’s new series, Hip Hop Was Born Here (now streaming with a Paramount+ subscription), Meyers asked about his claims to creating G.O.A.T. With a good laugh, the NCIS actor jumped into the back story, citing two sports legends, Muhammad Ali and Earl Manigault. From there, it took off. He said:
I'll tell you where I got it. I got "Greatest Of All Time" from Muhammad Ali, obviously. And I got ‘G.O.A.T.’ from Earl Manigault, who was a street basketball player in New York. I took the two together and I made the acronym G.O.A.T. G.O.A.T. -- Greatest Of All Time. And then it just kind of spread throughout the world.
Finding the true originator of anything can be a tricky feat, but this retelling of the ‘G.O.A.T.’ origins has some legs. Of course “Greatest Of All Time” is not a new phrase, and has been in use since the boxer’s reign. But it being braided with the legendary street player’s nickname checks out for me–it is an exemplary example of the word. And, if it was birthed by the same “Mama Said Knock You Out,” artist, I’m not surprised it went worldwide.
If that wasn’t enough, LL Cool J had an album from 2000 with said abbreviated word (with the full meaning next to it) as the title. He believes that was the first time that it was fully realized in pop culture. Wryly, the Deep Blue Sea alum said you could ask AI if that’s true, but couldn’t promise it’d give the real answer. He shared:
And this album was, was called G.O.A.T. from the year 2000, and that's the first time that it appeared in the world…I mean, you can ask ChatGPT. It might hallucinate, but, you know, you can.
Good things take time to catch on, and G.O.A.T. has certainly been out there for quite some time. All the same, I believe that his album is likely to be the source. As we know, the 57 year-old’s career has been a successful one, spanning fields of Hollywood, and presently ranks with some of the best musicians turned actors. So, the claim isn’t that far fetched over here.
Outside of the G.O.A.T. lore, LL Cool J has been popping up multiple times over on the 2025 TV guide. He returned to the NCISverse earlier this year, and, as mentioned, created the historic deep dive series Hip Hop Was Born Here which explores the origins of the genre and its lasting cultural impact. And after learning a shred of this term’s history from the G.O.A.T. artist, I think I know what I’ll be doing later this evening.
