Malone at 39 averaged 36.2 minutes, scored 20 or more 48 times and had 21 double-doubles and one triple-double. Aaron Williams contributed to the graphics. That was too young for LeBron James, for Dwight Howard, for Amare Stoudemire. 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). Each player only had one year to get this award, and Jordan was the one to get the rookie of the year (Kobe Bryant vs. Michael Jordan Comparison). Not surprisingly, two all-world performers in the regular season have also been dominant in the postseason. Jordan is the all-time playoff leader in PER and Box Plus/Minus, and he has the highest usage percentage. LeBron has much competition with all the new all these new talents with so much potential. Against that backdrop, maybe what LeBron James has done this season shouldnt seem so astonishing. The effect of Jordans game was so profound that the league changed its rules to make the games more enjoyable. Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: Everything you need to know about the NBA GOAT debate play SC Featured: Jordan-LeBron debate tackled by Harvard and Yale Design and development by Virginia Singarayar. While both players are known for tenacious defense on the wing, Jordan finished first in the league in steals three times in his career. Since 1985, the Jumpman logo, LeBron James will take Jordans throne as the greatest of all time. Not only does he need improvement his team needs it to. LeBron vs. Jordan. No one here is picking sides (and James career legacy is still being written), but here is a closer look at how the two superstars stack up today when it comes to the regular season, the postseason and their respective achievements and honors (all stats are through Feb. 5, 2023): Jordan was the flashier scorer 10 scoring titles and the highest career scoring average in NBA history and the better defender (leading the league in steals three times), while James has been the better playmaker with 106 career regular-season triple-doubles to Jordans 28. Lakers rally from 27 down in Dallas as Anthony Davis closes with force, from passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the top spot on that same list, Southern California home sales fall to all-time low, Teacher at Irvines Beckman High School arrested after recording devices found in restroom, Final bones of 50-year-old Laguna Hills mall are coming down, OC students snowed in at science camps are coming home, Killer keto? Lakers President Magic Johnson, who faced Jordan in the 1991 NBA Finals and signed James as a free agent last summer, said that the two greats scored in different ways, but shared a willingness to spend hours fine-tuning their games. This age difference could give James more time to catch up to his record. 27.3 Player Efficiency Rating (PER) 27.9, 145.9 Value Over Replacement (VORP) 116.1. AST% since 1964-65. That scoring boom has left Jordans former defenders wondering how many points he might score in todays NBA. Their names are all over the NBA record books in just about every category. If you utilize material unique to a Sports Reference It was all identical but not the same(P//5). 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 It was the most the legendary Atlanta Braves star ever hit in a season, vaulting him into position to chase down Babe Ruths record of 714 in 1974. James and his closest friends idolized Michael Jordan while they grew up together in Akron, Ohio. Armand Emamdjomeh makes data visualizations, maps and graphics. -- Zach Lowe. GS since 1981-82. MJ attends the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. Ask to see his feet. The two are very confident in their abilities. Jordan had the drive and edge over his opponents to win games. The games in the NBA are evolving, and Michael Jordan was the man who changed the game. 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. Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: Regular season stats On a per-game basis, Jordan is superior in the scoring department, but James grabs rebounds and dishes source for the material. They are the biggest inspiration to young ballers around the world. For Jordan partisans, the Bulls' 6-0 record in Finals series is indisputable proof of his superiority. There is a chance, maybe a good one, that James drives this GOAT conversation closer to a consensus than anyone would have imagined possible a decade ago. Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: Regular season stats Provided by Sporting News Jordan is superior in the scoring department, but James grabs rebounds WebLatest on Los Angeles Lakers small forward LeBron James including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on ESPN 34.4: 73.5: 7.5: 7.3: 0.8: 1.5: 1.8: 3.5: 27.2: Recent Games. GS since 1981-82. Nikola Jokic remains at No. So, who would you pick? The only question now is, Who is the best basketball player?, 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. This was the season after he won his MVP. Prior to the James era, the consensus pretty Jordan has 38 career 40-point games in the playoffs and eight 50-point games (including his NBA playoff-record 63). They think they are the best there is and ever will be, and they certainly do not let anyone tell them differently. So for the record, youve got MJ, then Kobe, then LeBron. ESPN's NBA expert panel voted on thousands of head-to-head matchups, taking into consideration both total career value and peak performance. However, Jordan has been much more loved by the fans than LeBron. After that, the numbers drop off considerably. Similarly, Johnson praised Jamess key evolutions throughout his career: honing his three-point shooting, mastering his responses to various defensive schemes, and varying his teams style of play to get the most out of his teammates. WebLeBron James seems to be ignoring the memo on Father Time's undefeated record. Photo: KevinMazur. The advanced stats are split, with Value Over Replacement (VORP) and Win Shares favoring James, but Player Efficiency Rating (PER) and Plus/Minus on Jordans side of the ledger. They have both made the most impact for their respective teams, they have also made rookie of the year their first years. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Michael and Kobe have an unreal drive to win. 1 overall in 2003. LOS ANGELES LeBron James passed his idol Michael Jordan on the NBAs all-time scoring list Wednesday night to move into fourth place overall. Both players do not care about who is going to be new faces of NBA or whatever. LeBron James and Stephen Curry have put up ageless scoring numbers. Jordan led his team to the finals six times and came out victorious all six of those times. WebGet the latest news, stats, videos, highlights and more about guard Michael Jordan on ESPN. James would have to play in nearly 60 games at his current scoring pace to pass Kobe Bryant, at 33,543 points. Jordan Greer is an NBA content producer for The Sporting News. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, *Translations are limited to select pages, Kia MVP Ladder: Picture remains as hazy as ever, MVP Tracker: Embiid puts up massive numbers, Kia Rookie Ladder: An abundance of talent, As usual, Paul taking teams to new heights, NBA DFS Picks: Yahoo plays and strategy for Feb. 28, Durant expected to make Suns debut Wednesday, NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: Feb. 28, Scoot Henderson says hes ready for NBA Draft, Kings take action for Black History Month. So he only could play for the Lakers on weekend passes, traveling to L.A. or wherever else they happened to be scheduled. At 34 and with three more seasons remaining on his current contract, James will next take aim at the three players ahead of him on the scoring list: Kobe Bryant (33,643 points), Karl Malone (36,928) and all-time leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387). Second to the Dippers bar-setter, Michael Jordan averaged 35.0 points in 1987-88. (6:40). 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. With a film crew following them all season, "the last dance," as coach Phil Jackson called it, would be shadowed by tension and an overwhelming sense that their storied run was coming to an end. In the comments section. They are quick to show people that they are the best on the court. Please see our data coverage page for details. Most people say Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan is the greatest player in the National Basketball Association (N.B.A) but who is better, Majority of people would say Kobe Bryant is a better player than Michael Jordan. When thinking of greatness in the realm of basketball, these two definitely come to mind. Michael Jordan is widely considered as the greatest basketball player of all time, however in LeBron James there is an individual who can claim to challenge him for One endless debate. Note: Data as of Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019. Then, Id have him give it to Jordan and let Jordan go to work.. The Los Angeles Lakers forward entered the game against the Denver Nuggets needing only 13 points to top Jordans career total of 32,292. Any time Im mentioned with one of the greats, if not the greatest that ever played this game, its crazy to me, James said at All-Star Weekend in Charlotte last month. Heres why both legends can credibly claim to be the greatest. Also read: LeBron James will be GOAT over Michael Jordan once he gets NBA's scoring record, says Chandler Parsons, Be the first one to comment on this story. LeBron has put up some unheard of and unthinkable numbers, while leading a team in 2007 to the National Basketball Association finals that had no other star players on the roster. Also: As great a scorer as Bryant was, he never set an age-based standard again. He had to have something on the line because that drove him.. He had to dial it back to win his titles. These two players were very similar in many ways. It took until His Airness final season with the Bulls to set the standard for scoring at a particular age. Both LeBron and MJ won Rookie of the Year for their respective teams. A few even argued that James has been the GOAT for a while now. The better player of the two is, Jordan. Christie, Cassell and Smith all agreed with Bowen that Jordan, not James, should get the ball with the season on the line. The answer to that is very tough to come upon and will likely be unknown for a long time. 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. Basketball fan or basketball people have probably heard or had a strong discussion about who is a greater player: Kobe Bryant or LeBron James? They are both are Hall of Famers, with a combined eight championship rings together and counting. Barton joins the Raptors after he was waived by the Wizards on Feb. 21. On your television. Michael Jordan played in the NBA for fifteen years, made it to the finals six out of those fifteen years and won every time. LeBron vs. MJ: The GOAT debate is different now, At minimum, it's a debate now. Its amazing to realize that The Beard averaged more points at 29 than Wilt, Jordan or anybody else in NBA history. While some differences between Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan are evident, the similarities are striking which caused the entire dilemma on whos the better version. This translated in outlawing defensive contact when a player is in the perimeter, which in turn allowed players to relentlessly attack the lane and score on spectacular layups or dunks in a manner similar to what Jordan popularized. James wins the longevity argument (with anyone), still playing at an All-NBA level and averaging 30 points per game in his 20th season with clear plans to play at least a few more. The moves they made were the exact same from the fade away jump shot, to the way they dunked the ball. Look back at Michael Jordan's legendary NBA career. With five regular-season MVPs and three All-Star MVPs, Jordan became the most decorated player in the NBA. Over 14 games, James is averaging 34.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game on 51.6% shooting. But what he did in his 15th set the standard for 35-year-olds. Nothing was ever going to deter him, sometimes to a fault. Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. The debate between who the best basketball player of all time has been going on for many years. The 13-time All-Star, who was dealt to Phoenix on Feb. 9, has not played in a game since Jan. 8 when he was with the Nets. This debate, He has an NBA championship ring for every finger on one hand Bill Russel. Two of the names that come up a lot in this conversation are Michael Jordan and Lebron James. That site uses Jan. 31 as the cutoff date to classify a players age. Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James, the great(est) debate of our time, is finally put to rest by the Harvard and Yale debate teams. Michael Jordan has 6 rings while LeBron has 3 rings. Over James first five seasons in the league, he averaged 27.3 points on 46.7% shooting (32.4% on threes) while putting up 21.1 shots nightly. Or 44, easily, guessed Cassell. Stephen Jackson gives his take on the best basketball player between Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. They do not believe that anyone is better than them. Theres no way this kid is 18 years old. . Stay up to date on the race for Kia NBA MVP with a look at the latest performances from the top candidates. It also gave him the bragging rights of five firsts and two seconds on this scoring-by-age chart. In terms of longevity, James holds a clear advantage. James recently missed 18 games due to a strained groin muscle the longest break of his career. 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? There is also the fact that the NBA is different now compared to the NBA that Jordan played in. A current star has complicated that GOAT (greatest of all time) conversation, of course. Jordan fanshave championships in their back pockets. Some people way say Lebron James is the best player to play the over ichael jordan and people say he could be the person to change the logo to the. Jordans Bulls were favored to win all six times they reached the Finals, but James teams were the betting underdog seven of 10 times. In conclusion, LeBron James is statistically a better player when it comes to all-around basketball. However, Michael Jordan was a much better scorer. He won more on the biggest stage, but failed often in the playoffs and rarely beat some of his greatest opponents. James played with better teammates than Jordan did. Michael Jordan says he takes the comparison between him and LeBron James with a grain of salt because they played in different eras. In your Twitter replies. Not only does he help the team with his scoring, but he seems to make everyone around him perform better with his playmaking ability. LeBron James or Michael Jordan. No matter what, they were both incredible athletes who could lead their team. Or write about sports? Chris Paul is the 1st player in NBA history to be part of 4 teams to set a franchise record for wins in a season. This prompted StatMuse to put out a graphic comparing James stats to NBA legend Michael Jordans stats in his age-38 season with Washington. Note: Because some players birthdays fall during the NBA season, we are going with the age XX year as determined by Basketball-Reference.com. 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. If Jordan got to his preferred spots, he could set up his trademark turnaround. A key example of LeBrons failure to lead a team is during the 2015 NBA finals. Look back at Karl Malone's legendary NBA career. In LeBrons first game, they threw the ball to him in the post, Christie said. The Spurs took one of LeBrons biggest strengths his brain and used it against him, Bowen said, adding that the strategy had its limitations. The Cavs went on to have one of their worst seasons yet. While Lebron has 2 championships (2011-13) , and was the MVP of both of those wins. For James believers, his 10 Finals appearances are emblematic of LeBron's longer record of accomplishment. LeBron James and Michael Jordan are always the two players that headline "LeBron James does have this going for him. He's a better all-around player than Michael and them. He has more skills than Michael. He's a point guard, he's a better passer ORB, DRB, STL, BLK, DRtg, BPM, VORP, and per 100 Poss stats since 1973-74. The question thats been roaming around the air for quite awhile now iswho was better at it? 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