LeBron James recently became the NBA’s all-time scoring leader. This meant the inevitable discussions on who is truly the greatest basketball player of all time resurfaced. The younger generation have grown up watching LeBron smash record after record, star in a movie and be the face of the entire NBA for years. They see nobody to rival him, in their eyes, he is the greatest to ever do it.
However, the release of the sports documentary series “The Last Dance” showed the same younger generation of NBA fans that Michael Jordan is far more than a guy who is associated with Nike and sneakers. For the older generation who witnessed Jordan on the court playing a huge role in two three-peats with the Bulls, it cemented their belief that he is the greatest player to ever put on an NBA jersey.
It is a debate which continues to rage and if you’ve ever been involved in it, you will know that can often get heated and last a long, long time. Everyone pulls for their guy and no matter what stats you throw out, you won’t back down. With that said, let’s dive a little deeper into this debate.
Jordan vs LeBron: Regular Season Stats
When you look at pure scoring stats on a per-game basis, Jordan holds the advantage. However, LeBron is better in terms of rebounds and also gives assists at a higher rate. One notable stat where Jordan comes out on top is defensive steals. Jordan finished first in the league on three separate occasions for total steals, while LeBron has yet to claim a steals title.
Likewise, there is only one winner in terms of pure longevity. James comfortably claims this title, and the gap will only get bigger the longer he continues to touch the court. As long as his health doesn’t leave him, which is doubtful as he looks as great as ever, there seems to be a good few years left in him yet even at age 39.
Jordan vs LeBron: Playoff Stats
The playoff stats are similar to what both of these phenomenal athletes produce in the regular season. Although there is a clear increase in LeBron’s usage and efficiency in the postseason, it is also clear that he has a similar percentage as Jordan from the three-point range.
There is a narrative out there (nonsense, really) that LeBron doesn’t really turn up in big games. The response to that narrative should be that his postseason stats are often better than his regular season ones.
Jordan has the highest usage percentage of any player all-time in the playoffs, and is the leader in Box Plus/Minus and PER. He is known as one of the most clutch sportspeople of all time. Everyone knew where the ball was going in crunch time if the Balls needed a score, but you try and stop if from happening.
Verdict
Look, there is no right or wrong answer here, buy my personal basketball GOAT is Michael Jordan. I’ve had the pleasure of watching both, and it is a pleasure. Also, and those who go for LeBron will hate this, Jordan has Championships to show off, going a perfect 6-0 in NBA playoffs.
