this is just like when Kobe was playing and everyone was saying he was better then MJ. then once his career ended and his resume was dwarfed by MJ's all that talk ended. it will be the same thing with LeBron and there will be some new going buck they are trying to elevate.
A few things:
-At no point ever was everyone saying Kobe was better than MJ

The only one I remember saying anything like that is Mark Jackson one time.
-Yes Kobe's resume was dwarfed by Jordan, which is why all that talk never started outside of the Laker fanbase. That won't be the case with Lebron, whose resume is likely to dwarf everyone else by the time he hangs em up.
-Kobe never had a chance because he intentionally fashioned himself as a clone of Mike. The copy can never be superior to the original. That's why you DID have a lot of people saying Kobe was "The closest thing we've seen to Michael Jordan." They didn't mean in terms of greatness compared to all players, they meant literally. Kobe's entire persona on the court was an impression of Jordan. So the only way he was ever gonna have a chance was if he clearly surpassed Jordan's rings, stats, success using his same playstyle, and of course that didn't happen.
-LeBron is different because he's his own brand of beast. There's never been anyone like him with the unique combination of physical talents, skillset, bball iq, desire to be great, durability, sustained greatness, dedication to work, etc. Hes done things that Jordan did not. And he's likely to finish at the top of more statistical categories and measures of greatness than anyone in history, even if he probably doesn't surpass 6 rings.
So there's plenty of GOAT arguments to be made for LeBron that just werent there for Kobe.