He only been in the NBA for three years so he still have some time to get better and improve his team. Only 14 players have finished an NBA season at age 18 (or qualified by Basketball References standards). This age difference could give James more time to catch up to his record. LeBron has only three championship rings but has been to the Finals eight times. 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. Michael Jordan is a superior player to kareem because of his success on and off the court. Next, is the MVP award, Kobe was the MVP one year, while Jordan was the MVP five years (Kobe Bryant vs. Michael Jordan Comparison). And he shot better now from distance (38.9% vs. 36.7%). LeBron has left his hometown and his team in Miami suddenly leaving many fans angry for deserting them. The only time Michael and LeBron did it the same was when they had lanes to the basket, Johnson said with a laugh. Ive failed over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed (MJ). They are known to have said hurtful things and bully teammates. Daring James to shoot proved effective for stretches because it caused James to overthink. Wings had to track his every movement and battle for position before the ball arrived. A current star has complicated that GOAT (greatest of all time) conversation, of course. James is set to pass Abdul-Jabbars all-time scoring record (38,387 career points) over the next week in what will be a major accomplishment. -- Zach Lowe. Or 44, easily, guessed Cassell. Pick a side, nerds! The Spurs took one of LeBrons biggest strengths his brain and used it against him, Bowen said, adding that the strategy had its limitations. This still doesn't change the fact that Michael Jordan and LeBron James won 2 Olympic gold medals. 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. Michael Jordan was six and zero in the National Basketball Association finals, but he did not have the productivity like LeBron James did. Please logout and login again. Ask to see his feet. Nowitzki, 40, is in his 21st season. Now that James isthe NBA's all-time leading scorer, one question remains: Will heput the record out of reach? Aaron Williams contributed to the graphics. TheESPN documentary series "The Last Dance" showed a younger generation of NBA fans that Michael Jordan is much more than a guy who sells retro sneakers. The author explains that actually, Stephen Curry has no intrigued about the new face of NBA between him and Lebron James. WebEvery time Lebron wins a championship ring, he is compared to Jordan more. Barton joins the Raptors after he was waived by the Wizards on Feb. 21. Data runs from 1946-47 to present 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. FantasyPros considers the best player values for DraftKings and FanDuel NBA DFS. Look back at Michael Jordan's legendary NBA career. 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. Look back at Wilt Chamberlain's legendary NBA career. James has gone 4-6 in his 10NBA Finals appearances, but he also controlled the Eastern Conference with the Cavaliers and Heat for almost an entire decade. After that, the numbers drop off considerably. 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. After 15 years in the NBA, Jordan finished his career with 5,633 career assists, while after only 13 years in the. LeBron did win two Finals with the Miami Heat and one with his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, but he has not been able to deliver in his other Finals appearances. Of those, only LeBron James and Dirk Nowitzki the sixth-highest scorer all time are still playing. The Jordan vs. LeBron debate even rages among former NBA players -- and the answer isn't divided as cleanly along generational lines as you might think. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Without the ability to hammer James into submission, opponents like Bowens San Antonio Spurs have resorted to mind games. Look back at Jerry West's legendary NBA career. LeBron has much competition with all the new all these new talents with so much potential. The author explains that actually, Stephen Curry has no intrigued about the new face of NBA between him and Lebron James. Williams: LeBron's willingness to speak out makes him the GOAT. Over 14 games, James is averaging 34.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game on 51. Jordan didnt bother to bait anyone. The LeBron James kindergarten photo controversy. Some might say it is Michael Jordan, but currently some people might argue it is actually Lebron James, who is the greatest player of all time. Bill Russel, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Julius Dr. So theoretically. An Oregon native, he lives and works in Los Angeles. Date of birth: Feb 17, 1963. Its mind-blowing., While his career average of 27.1 points per game ranks fifth all-time, Meanwhile, others felt the stats were cherry-picked and overlooked Jordans edge in more important categories such as NBA championships. And here's the big one. Look back at Elgin Baylor's legendary NBA career. 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. 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 still doesn't change the fact that Michael LeBron has the highest VORP and Win Shares ever. Michael Jordan says he takes the comparison between him and LeBron James with a grain of salt because they played in different eras. American basketball star Michael Jordan was born on February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York. When it comes to statistical comparison Jordan could be considered as better after winning six titles and its important to emphasize two 3-peats. LeBron also has 28 career playoff triple-doubles, while Jordan has two. Even after Michael Jordan left his team they were still successful, as for LeBron leaving Cleveland well things were not looking good for the Cavs. Don't be the person yelling "six rings" with no backup plan. 27.3 Player Efficiency Rating (PER) 27.9, 145.9 Value Over Replacement (VORP) 116.1. Prior to the James era, the consensus pretty The way Michael scored the basketball wasnt always good for his team. Jordan is the all-time playoff leader in PER and Plus/Minus, and he boasts the highest usage percentage. There are many deciding factors to see who the better of the two are, and we must know who is the best. Learn more and register. 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. Whenever he touched the ball, I tried to get it out of his hands, Smith said. NBA GOAT debate: Big questions on the greatest players ever. James highest scoring average to date came in his age-21 season, when he finished third behind Bryant (35.4) and Allen Iverson (33.0). Kobe has 5 championships, and out of those 5 he was the MVP of two of them (2007-08). Now 38 and just a game or two from passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the top spot on that same list, James is one of the few players who can legitimately be discussed alongside Jordan when it comes to laying claim to the title of G.O.A.T. This all of course culminated in a GOAT debate. The debate is most often between LeBron James and Michael Jordan, though Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has some backers, too. This essay will highlight the life and career of Lebron James. James is the NBA's all-time scoring leader, but Jordan hit major scoring milestones well ahead of James throughout his career. If LeBron James is not better than Michael Jordan he is just as good because of his career accomplishments, his statistical numbers, as well, Comparison Of Michael Jordan And Lebron James, Who is the greatest basketball player of all time? J Irving are just a few of those with the careers to back this title. Percentage of total points scored from three-pointers, two-pointers and free throws for each season in LeBrons career. Some stats were available earlier in the ABA. 5spot with 32,292. For Jordan partisans, the Bulls' 6-0 record in Finals series is indisputable proof of his superiority. The key difference is three-point shooting. Michael Jordan career vs. LeBron James career. It was all identical but not the same(P//5). The two are very arrogant and think very highly of themselves. Both came to the NBA out of high school, both have been very high place since those early years, and made a huge impact on the league. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Karl Malone averaged 23.2 points at that age and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar went for 22.0, and they were two of the most prolific graybeards in the games history. We present them here for purely educational purposes. this season 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. Zodiac sign: Aquarius. One person who isn't changing his mind anytime soon is First Take's Stephen A. Smith. Numerous players who defended both Jordan and James agreed with this distinction. BPM, VORP, handedness not available for WNBA. That site uses Jan. 31 as the cutoff date to classify a players age. Last, the most significant difference in these two athletes is their game attitude. James, by contrast, has led the league in scoring just once, and he peaked as a solo scoring threat in 2005-06, averaging 31.4 points per game and 23.1 shots per game while using 33.8 percent of his teams possessions. That scoring boom has left Jordans former defenders wondering how many points he might score in todays NBA. 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. James is in his 16th season and, at 34, likely has several years left. WebLeBron James seems to be ignoring the memo on Father Time's undefeated record. Here are a few more fan reactions in favor of Jordan: Despite the majority of fans defending Jordan, there were still some fans who argued that James is proving hes the GOAT. VORP and Win Shares favor James, but PER and Box Plus/Minus go to Jordan. Some stats were available earlier in the ABA. They both just want to be the best teammates for their own teams. He had to dial it back to win his titles. By the way, Malone played 81 games and Jordan, in his final season, played 82. Jordan won six NBA championships compared to Kobes five and Jordan was the finals MVP five times while Kobe was once (Kobe Bryant vs. Michael Jordan Comparison). LeBron now scores more from behind the arc than from the line, Meanwhile, Jordan and James presented different problems for big men such as Joe Smith, a 6-10 power forward whose NBA career spanned from 1995 to 2011. There is also the fact that the NBA is different now compared to the NBA that Jordan played in. Jordan had the drive and edge over his opponents to win games. Basketball fan or basketball people have probably heard or had a strong discussion about who is a greater player: Kobe Bryant or LeBron James? 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