Per 36 minutes this season, his 15.2 scoring wasnt much off his 19.4 pro-rated rate nine years earlier. Both players do not care about who is going to be new faces of NBA or whatever. The harsh debate has gone on ever since Lebrons rookie season in 2004 when people started comparing him to Jordan. Michael Jordan is still considered the greatest basketball player of all time. AST% since 1964-65. TOV and ORtg since 1977-78. pointers and free throws for the top five scorers in NBA history. Previously, he was a senior writer at Sports Illustrated covering the NBA. The debate is most often between LeBron James and Michael Jordan, though Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has some backers, too. Look back at Wilt Chamberlain's legendary NBA career. As stated by ESPN.com (2016) Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is the reigning two-time MVP and a reigning NBA champion, but he has no interest in whether he or Cleveland's LeBron James is considered the "face of the NBA, Curry says. 1 overall pick in 2003. In terms of longevity, James holds a clear advantage. It was destined to be that way ever since James was crowned The Chosen One in high school, and his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers drafted him No. If youre looking for legends, this is a tier that has But he was so good at taking your heart away., Against James, though, he often trapped immediately so that he wouldnt get caught in no mans land. From the day LeBron James first picked up a basketball, he wanted to be like Mike. The only question now is, Who is the best, He has been to the NBA Finals six times and all six times he and the Chicago Bulls were world champions. Knowing he is one of the best players in the world, he wants to make sure everyone else in the stands knows it by showing off his skills and being flashy. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Both had consistently high scoring outputs and very little time missed to injury, with Abdul-Jabbar only notably missing two months in 1977, having broken his hand while punching Milwaukee Bucks center Kent Benson in the jaw. While arguments can be (and have been) made for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Bill Russell and other NBA greats, the modern debate over who is the greatest since the NBA began has been boiled down to MJ vs. LeBron. In 2001, Randy (Big Unit) Johnson at age 37 struck out a career-high 372 batters, went 21-6 for the Arizona Diamondbacks and earned the fourth of his five Cy Young Awards. After 15 years in the NBA, Jordan finished his career with 5,633 career assists, while after only 13 years in the. James is the NBA's all-time scoring leader, but Jordan hit major scoring milestones well ahead of James throughout his career. Here are Jordan and James, in their own words, talking about each other over nearly two decades. And what qualities make one player the GOAT? Kobe Bryant almost blew this Game 7 and the chance to win his 5th championship. Lebron James and Michael Jordan are the greatest legends of their times because they have the most stats, the most rings, and the most money. No one ever broke it down to that type of science., Guarding James represented a different challenge because, at 6-foot-8 and 270 pounds, he was taller and heavier than Jordan, who was listed at 6-6 and 218 pounds, his target weight toward the end of his career. Bucks: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Grizzlies vs. The Sporting News' Bill Benderhas a helpful guidewith the most importanttalking points if you're ready to discussMJ vs. LeBron, but we're simply here to provide the facts you need to justify your choice. GS since 1981-82. The Lebron versus Kobe really got heated when Michael Jordan said he thinks Bryant is the better player due to his five championship, Although the stats do not lie, people still believe there is an argument to be made over who the greatest basketball player of all time is because of the number of championships won. Most Valuable Player, NBA Champion, NBA All-Starthese are cover of a book of achievements earned by the most popular player in todays basketball community, Lebron James. They've dominated the NBA discourse for the better part of four decades, ranking first and second in playoff points scored (LeBron over MJ) and Finals MVPs (MJ over LeBron). Baylor scored 34.0 at 28 in 1962-63 and Bernard King put up 32.9 per game for the Knicks in 1984-85. James recently missed 18 games due to a strained groin muscle the longest break of his career. Aaron Williams contributed to the graphics. He played both ends at the highest level, Christie said. In LeBrons first game, they threw the ball to him in the post, Christie said. LeBron was shut down by Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala. Abdul-Jabbar had averaged 17.5 points at age 39 but that still was a 20-point rate pro-rated to 36 minutes. Both players do not care about who is going to be new faces of NBA or whatever. If he got a half-step of separation, he could slice into the paint for acrobatic layups. Watching LeBron play, you see his pass-first mentality at work. Not only does he need improvement his team needs it to. Nothing stood in his way once he had gotten to the. Bryant vs LeBron James vs Michael Jordan: stats, Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: The key stats NBA 24/7 - Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: NBA Better Carters improbably long career faded not into the sunset but into the COVID-19 shutdown. This is the big one regardless of age, the season after which if Chamberlain had been hitting free agency the Philadelphia Warriors owner would have skipped contract formalities and simply called him partner. How would you pay someone today who averaged 50 points, almost 26 rebounds and 48.5 minutes? The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. James and his closest friends idolized Michael Jordan while they grew up together in Akron, Ohio. Since 1985, the Jumpman logo, LeBron James will take Jordans throne as Note: Because some players birthdays fall during the NBA season, we are going with the age XX year as determined by Basketball-Reference.com. Their free throw output is very close; Jordan made 7,327 and LeBron has made 7,101. WNBA all-time (since 1997) unless otherwise noted. (That's a term of endearment.). Jordan left college after his junior year to join the NBA. Six championships. was an inspiration, James told reporters on March 7, 2019, the night he passed Jordan for fourth place on the NBAs career scoring list. Two of the names that come up a lot in this conversation are Michael Jordan and Lebron James. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. Simmons purpose is to show the effects of being driven by competition and how that has brought James into the discussion for the greatest basketball player of all time. Keep scrolling to see how long it could take James to catch up to their records. Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. "I can relate to the players and we can talk about music, shoes and movies because we are similar in ages," said the Timberwolves coach, whose roster has three players older than him. (Greatest of All Time). Like James, Bryant missed very little time to injury until the end of his career, even playing with a fractured finger for most of a season. Given what Barry did at this young age, you automatically wonder what his encore for San Francisco was at age 23, right? LeBron James passes Michael Jordan in career field goals James now trails Wilt (12,681) for No. For his efforts there, Jordan received the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. These two players were very similar in many ways. Check out the best moments from Luka Doncic during the 2019-20 season. Did you know that Michael Jordan averaged about thirty points a game, and retired with six NBA championships. Numerous endorsements, an acting career, and widespread humanitarianism are only a few of the features that comprise the man we know as Lebron James. Has not lost in his era. In response to Jordan and James, frustrated opposing coaches resorted to unconventional tactics. Remember when LeBron scored 25 straight points? Cassell asked, referring to a 2007 playoff game between Jamess Cavaliers and the Pistons. LeBron vs. MJ: The GOAT debate is different now, At minimum, it's a debate now. The better player of the two is, Jordan. James had a clear-cut advantage, with Jordan having averaged 22.9PPG, 5.7RPG and 5.2APG on 41.6% shooting, however, many fans took issue with the comparison. In the latest episode of "More Than An Athlete," LeBron James says his historic 2016 NBA Finals win made him the greatest player ever. So Karl Malone would have caught and passed him in 2003 before LeBron and reigned as the NBAs all-time points leader for 19 years until March 19 in Washington, when James would have taken over by reaching 36,929. (6:40). Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. Jordan cannot be called the same. Didnt matter much, though, given the Lakers other weapons he got his sixth championship and L.A. earned its fifth of the decade. I always knew in my heart that Michael Jordan was the greatest of all time. Over 14 games, James is averaging 34.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 8.3 Six rings. Through Michael Jordans athletic success on the court, he was able to make himself and his brand into a cultural icon, which had a great impact on the game of basketball, fashion, marketing, and the economy in America. This shows us that Jordan was dominating the league, while other players were just as dominate as Kobe was. I wouldnt change LeBrons approach at all.. Michael with no doubt left the NBA as one of the greatest players to ever play the game of basketball. Both players are well known players on and off the court but when it comes down to the best of the best MJ wins. It was all identical but not the same(P//5). James has 28 career 40-point games in the playoffs and one 50-point game in the 2018 NBA Finals. He just punished you.. When thinking of greatness in the realm of basketball, these two definitely come to mind. By: HoopsHype, But when you want to say whos the greatest ever its still Michael Jordan, Im going with MJ because I played with him. 9 min read. They both just want to be the best teammates for their own teams. Then, Id have him give it to Jordan and let Jordan go to work.. Your default site has been set for 7 days, Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: The key stats you need to know in the GOAT debate, The Sporting News' Bill Benderhas a helpful guide. It's the never-ending debate among today's NBA fans: Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James. You can e-mail himhere, findhis archive hereandfollow him on Twitter. Nikola Jokic remains at No. Stephen Jackson gives his take on the best basketball player between Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. James' recent scoring run has brought his season averages up to 30.2PPG, 8.5RPG and 7.1APG on 50.5% shooting. Davis agreed, too, with a twist that neatly summarized these two greats differing approaches at this historic crossing. Jordan would challenge Johnson to endless free throw contests and games of H-O-R-S-E when they were teammates on USA Basketballs 1992 Dream Team. Bill Russells nemesis in their famous rivalry dropped off by nearly six points per game from the season before and still posted the second-highest scoring average in NBA history. The question thats been roaming around the air for quite awhile now iswho was better at it? Like Jordan, whom Johnson said displayed a maniacal work ethic during Dream Team workouts and practices, James has fully committed to his craft, spending an estimated $1.5 million per year to maintain his body. Jordan led his team to the finals six times and came out victorious all six of those times. Wings had to track his every movement and battle for position before the ball arrived. Numerous players who defended both Jordan and James agreed with this distinction. Kendrick Perkins ranks LeBron James as No. LeBron James could not score in the 4th quarter and when the Cavs needed a spark. LeBron was leading the Cavs in his 2003-2010 season, but never got them a championship, LeBron was very close though. There are many deciding factors to see who the better of the two are, and we must know who is the best. If you utilize material unique to a Sports Reference Of those, only LeBron James and Dirk Nowitzki the sixth-highest scorer all time are still playing. Some stats were available earlier in the ABA. Place of birth: Brooklyn, New York. Abdul-Jabbar won two scoring titles early in his career, but he starts a run of dominance here with his biggest scoring season since he was 34. Malone at 39 averaged 36.2 minutes, scored 20 or more 48 times and had 21 double-doubles and one triple-double. This essay will highlight the life and career of Lebron James. Compare And Contrast Michael Jordan And Lebroon James, LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan Nowadays, the question that looms over every NBA fan and analysts head is, Who is the greatest of all time? Makes it hard to guard someone that big and athletic, while on the other hand Kobe scores so smoothly off the pull up of post up game and so more, Lebron James won 2 rings for winning the championship. For Jordan partisans, the Bulls' 6-0 record in Finals series is indisputable proof of his superiority. The games in the NBA are evolving, and Michael Jordan was the man who changed the game. 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