By Bailey Biddle
Lebron James Versus Michael Jordan
Disclaimer: this was before 2018-2019 season.
1. When talking about legacy Jordan wins no doubt, but that argument isn’t relevant to who is the best basketball player of all time. Jordan was the greatest scorer of all time, not best player.
2. When arguing stats, people bring up the dunk contest. Lebron doesn’t do the dunk contest and never will. In addition to, people like to bring up the All-Star game MVP, which is a very irrelevant argument to who is the G.O.A.T.
3. Lebron is the strongest, fastest, and has one the best visions in basketball. His ability to see the whole floor is very impressive. What makes Lebron so good is his longevity in the league. He is still improving his game and in his 16th season, he got 14 triple doubles in the 2018 season, not counting playoffs.
4. LeBron’s record all time is 716-356 as of 2018, and Jordan’s is 706-366. Lebron is just behind Jordan on career points and will easily pass him, if he keeps this pace up.
5. Lebron averages 7.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game, while MJ averages 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists. Lebron’s greatest strength isn’t scoring, but elevating his teammates game around him.
6. LeBron James has 73 triple doubles in his career as of 2018 and MJ had 28 in regular season play. Lebron still can get more. This shows how King James isn’t just focused on scoring.
7. MJ did win defensive player of the year, but could only guard his position. Lebron’s ability on the defensive end is so valuable because he can matchup to a lot of positions in the NBA. He was a better defender when he was younger, but is still a lock down defender in the league. In D Rose’s prime MVP season in the playoffs, Lebron took it upon himself to guard him and lock him down in the playoffs.
8. Let’s face it, Lebron and Jordan could have very well won MVP every year in the regular season. Lebron just needs one more to tie Jordan’s five Regular season title MVPs, and he hasn’t had one since the 2012 season in Miami. Lebron very much deserves it in the 2017-2018 season, but the league is most likely going to give it to James Harden. Lebron played his first whole season in 2018 and got 14 triple doubles when he is 33 years old. Lebron started playing in 2004, which is an pretty impressive stat to me.
9. Lebron has a total of 8,415 rebounds in his career and 8,208 assists. Jordan has a total of 6,672 rebounds and 5,633 assists, and Lebron is still competing to get more to add to his very impressive stat sheet.
10. This is all regular season stats which Lebron has a FG percentage of .504 and a 3 point percentage of .344. Jordan has a FG percentage of .497 and a 3 point percentage of .327. Lebron has played in more games, which means he has more shot attempts and is still able to maintain a better career percentage to this date.
11. Lebron’s best season career wise in assists and rebounds was in the 2017-2018 season with the Cavaliers, which he averaged 8.6 rebounds and 9.1 assists. Jordan’s best season in rebounds and assists was in 1989, when he averaged 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Jordan was 26 years old and Lebron was 33 years old. It’s crazy how Lebron keeps improving his game and stats as he goes up in age.
12. In the playoffs, Jordan’s points averaged a game goes drastically down when defense gets tighter, but Lebron almost has Jordan beat in every category of the playoffs. Playoff Lebron is a whole different animal and James plays the entire basketball game in minutes and doesn’t come off the court. He is one of the great athletes of our generation and this can’t be put in a stat. This might be the most noteworthy stat and is just something that can’t be ignored.
13. Lebron averages 28.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 7 assists, 1.8 steals, and one block in the playoffs compared to Jordan’s 33.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.7 Assists, 2.1 steals, and .9 blocks. MJ has Lebron beat in points and barely in steals, but James does so much more than just score in the playoffs.
14. Total points in the playoffs, Lebron has 6,855 points, 2,105 rebounds, 1668 assists, 417 steals, 229 blocks, with a total of 237 games played. Jordan has a total of 5987 points, 1152 rebounds, 1022 assists, 376 steals, 158 blocks and 179 games under his belt. I understand James has played more games, but I still think Lebron would have the edge on rebounds, points, assists, and blocks.
15. MJ may be the greatest clutch scorer of all time but, if you look at the numbers with 10 seconds left on the clock and the go ahead shot to win the game Lebron has the advantage. Lebron is 6-13 on FG attempts and has 4 buzzer beaters with a 46 FG percentage and Jordan has a 5-11 FG percentage with 3 buzzer beaters and a 45 FG percentage.
16. Lebron was the first person in NBA finals history to lead the finals in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals while mounting the first 3-1 comeback in NBA history against the Golden State Warriors. That Warriors team had a Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson. That team won 73 games in a season, the most in NBA history.
17. Lebron’s style of play is faster, stronger, better at shooting, better at passing, and has a great basketball mind. All better than Jordan and the stats do back that up.
18. MJ is 6-0 in the finals and Lebron is 3-4 not the best I get it, but let’s say that like the NHL, The Chicago Blackhawk are in the western division and the Bulls would be in the western conference as well. Hypothetically, do you think if MJ had the pistons or the Celtics in the finals, he wound have an undefeated record.... no. In Jordan’s time the east, he had dynasties and the west was weaker compared to LeBron’s West, which had the Warriors, Spurs, Rockets, and Thunder when they had Kevin Durant. These teams are easily better than the Eastern Conference teams. If MJ was to meet the Warriors in 4 straight finals do you think he goes undefeated.... no.
19. All Lebron’s finals wins, he has had another dominant scorer with him, like Kyrie or Wade. Lebron has never had the better team than Jordan, just another dominant player to help him. Lebron’s first year with the Miami Heat they weren’t as dominant as you think and Jordan’s team with Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr, Ron Harper was amazing. That team went on to win 72 games in a season. In 2015, when Lebron was on the Cavs with Love and Kyrie, Jordan’s 1996 Bulls with Pippen, Rodman, and Kerr were a better roster top to bottom. Anyone with Timofey Mozgov as a starting center should not be considered the best team compared to Jordan’s Bulls.
20. Lebron has been to 8 straight NBA finals, a feat that Jordan never accomplished, and James has not lost a Eastern Conference series since 2011. Let’s not forget about the 2007 Cavs and 2018 Cavs roster, and without LeBron those rosters do not make playoffs. Stats to show how James dragged a bunch of corpses to the finals just to get swept by Golden State or the San Antonio dynasty.
21. Lebron James has never lost in the first round of the NBA playoffs and in Jordan’s first three years he had three straight first round loses in the playoffs. Jordan was never able to beat Larry Bird’s Celtics and was only able to beat the Pistons because they got old, and he beat a mediocre 48 win bad boy Pistons team at best. Jordan’s first finals win was against “The Show Time Lakers” who were all washed up and old, they did not have Kareem and the leading scorer on that team was James Worthy. When Jordan left the Bulls, they went to a 57 win team to a 55 win team, proving how great Jordan’s team really was. When Lebron leaves teams they fall apart. When Lebron left the Cavs to go to Miami, they went from a Finals team to a team that got the first pick the next year. When James left Miami, they went from a Finals team to a team that didn’t even make the playoffs. So.... my question is who is more valuable.
22. Lebron’s first playoff game he finished with a 32 point triple double dropping 11 rebounds and assists. Lebron showed what was yet to come in his polished career and gave many fans incredible excitement of what greatness was to come.
23. When arguing for the GOAT, you can’t say that the game was so physical in the 90s and Lebron couldn’t handle it. Lebron is 6”8 250, I think he can handle a few bumps while driving to the basket.
24. In Lebron’s playoff career, he has had to face a 53-29 Detroit Pistons, 58-24 Spurs in the NBA Finals in 2007 with a terrible roster. In 2008, he faced a 66-16 Boston Celtic dynasty. In 2011, he faced 56-26 Celtic team, 62-20 Bulls team, and a 57-25 team that he lost too. In 2014, he faced a 62-20 Spurs team that he lost to and they played the greatest basketball series we have ever seen. James still faces a Warriors team that went 73-19 without KD. He currently has met the greatest basketball team ever assembled in 4 straight finals.
25. Lebron has played harder teams in the NBA Finals because he played in an era of player movement in FA and the era of super teams, which he started, but is currently facing what he started.
26. In game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals, Lebron James played 48 minutes, an entire basketball game, it looked like this awful Cavs team that the media portrayed had it in the bag. Lebron had 51 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. He played his heart out and that was going to trump all his big games in the playoffs. Let me set up the scenario, Cavs up 106-105 with about a minute left, Lebron draws a charging foul on KD and the momentum of the game shifts to the Cavs and it looks like Cavs are about to get over the hump. For the first time ever in my lifetime of watching a NBA game, much less a Finals game and the refs review a charge call to make sure it is in the restricted area. The call is overturned by the refs in a very controversial call and KD ties it on the free throw line. It’s 106-107 Warriors has the advantage with about 20 seconds left and Lebron passes the ball to George hill and he draws the foul with 3 seconds left. All George Hill had to do was make 2 free throws and they win the game, well here’s what happened, George missed the last free throw and one of the biggest blunders in NBA history happens to Lebron by a man named JR Smith. Smith grabs the rebound right by the rim and instead of putting it up for a potential game winning shot, JR dribbles it out to the 3 point line thinking they are winning the game and it gets sent to overtime. The Cavs end up getting beat by a large amount in OT. Can Lebron James ever catch a break, and all the momentum in the series went to the Warriors and the confidence of the Cavs was lost. This was Lebron’s game and arguably his best offensive performance in the playoffs and because of his teams mistakes, they blew it.
27. Lebron in the 2017-2018 playoffs further improved his game and has the best qualities of the top players in the NBA because Lebron took more deep 3s than he had in his whole career in the 2018 playoffs. He beat curry in most deep 3s made this year, he can shoot the 3 ball as efficient as Curry, has a mid-range game pull up like KD, can draw fouls and drive to the basket like harden, and has post play like Anthony Davis. He can do it all and is valuable at all different types of basketball skills.
28. Lebron’s star power in the league attracts more fans internationally and nationwide than many American athletes and keeps the nation on their toes for when he decides where to play. More media attention than Jordan ever did, but in his defense, this is the age of social media. An example would be 2018 when the whole NBA and fans alike were watching every movement Lebron made when he finally decided to go to LA, which is the biggest franchise branding wise in the NBA to this date. You can no longer say that Kobe and Magic were the greatest Lakers of all time now.
29. Let’s face it, Lebron might be the greatest athlete of our generation much less the greatest basketball player of all time. I think Jordan is a very close second, but at the end of Lebron’s career when it’s all said and done, Lebron will trump Jordan in all statistical categories, but still won’t have championships that will make this debate still up for grabs for most people. Just remember when bringing up championships and legacy in this MJ and James argument in this category, they are both trumped by Bill Russell and Kareem.
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