Hickey was coaching the Providence Steamrollers in 1947-48 when he got desperate for a spark so he activated himself. These two players were very similar in many ways. They revolutionized the game and brought a standard to be met- Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. There was a battle of old warriors going on 20-plus spots down the scoring leaderboard, with Malone edging out Jordan (20.0) for the 39-year-old crown. 1 overall pick in 2003. He passes Michael Jordan, who did it at age 34 in 1997. Now that James isthe NBA's all-time leading scorer, one question remains: Will heput the record out of reach? 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. Over 14 games, James is averaging 34.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game on 51.6% shooting. Look back at Karl Malone's legendary NBA career. Keep scrolling to see how long it could take James to catch up to their records. One of a kind. 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). Kobe Bryant wanted to show out Jordan himself by dropping a total of fifty-five points in the game. They are both are Hall of Famers, with a combined eight championship rings together and counting. Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James, the great(est) debate of our time, is finally put to rest by the Harvard and Yale debate teams. These two players were very similar in many ways. This season marked the sixth of Chamberlains seven straight scoring titles. But what he did in his 15th set the standard for 35-year-olds. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. 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. OK, so Willis appeared in five games for Dallas after a full season away from the NBA. The argument for why Lebron James is a better (though not necessarily greater) player than Michael Jordan is at its core quite simple. He has dominated a more skilled and talented era of basketball. Jordan has Lebron beaten in overall influence and cultural impact, but as far as simple basketball? Its Lebron. There are many reasons why Lebron can not be the better than Michael Jordan was. 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. Two exceptional talents. LeBron does not have the dominance of Michael Jordan. LA Lakers star forward LeBron James has been on fire since turning 38 on December 30. Bill Russel, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Julius Dr. Kobe had forty-two points in the first half; moreover, wanted to put on a show that night and did not hesitate to do so. When NFL quarterback Peyton Manning suited up for Denver as a 37-year-old in 2013, he put up the biggest numbers of his career: 5,477 passing yards and 55 touchdowns. As you can see on the list below, James playing at or near his current level should have a solid shot at the setting age 38 and age 39 marks held respectively by Abdul-Jabbar (23.4) and Malone (20.6). The Warriors dominated the series, winning four games to two. James did it last season and again this season. 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 Jordans influence was one that had never been seen before. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. It was all identical but not the same(P//5). MJ is the best basketball player to ever play, I feel like MJ is the G.O.A.T. This comparison is very important in today's sports, with many people joining the debate. LA Lakers star forward LeBron James has been on fire since turning 38 on December 30. BPM, VORP, handedness not available for WNBA. Kevin has a very calm and relaxed attitude in games. Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins are split on Isiah Thomas' comment that LeBron James will surpass Michael Jordan as the game's greatest if he wins a fourth championship. Against that backdrop, maybe what LeBron James has done this season shouldnt seem so astonishing. On March 28th, 2003 the ultimate rivalry took place between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. VORP and Win Shares favor James, but PER and Box Plus/Minus go to Jordan. Through the age of 31, LeBron James has accomplished more than Michael Jordan did through his 19 year career. Not only does he need improvement his team needs it to. Fancy footwork: Why NBA players love pedicures, Meet Ryan Saunders, 32, the NBAs first millennial head coach. The two have had amazing careers and are easily the top two to ever play the game. Barry averaged 30.6 in 1974-75 and led an ensemble Golden State team to the NBA championship, but finished a dubious fourth in MVP voting behind Bob McAdoo, Dave Cowens and Elvin Hayes back when players voted for the award. In response to Jordan and James, frustrated opposing coaches resorted to unconventional tactics. Two months out from his 38th birthday, 19 days since setting the NBA's all-time scoring record and a week from a record-tying 19th All-Star appearance, LeBron James is still giving Father Time a game for the ages. James averaged 27.2 as a 20-year-old NBA sophomore. So for the record, youve got MJ, then Kobe, then LeBron. 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 Most of the players who criticize LeBron for passing instead of shooting, especially when its time to take the last shot, are speaking from their own abilities, not his. James' recent scoring run has brought his season averages up to 30.2PPG, 8.5RPG and 7.1APG on 50.5% shooting. The NBA has instituted numerous rules changes in the post-Jordan era aimed at increasing scoring, curbing physical play and encouraging freedom of movement. Whenever he touched the ball, I tried to get it out of his hands, Smith said. The two are known to have gotten into multiple disagreements between which of the two are the best. Id put him near 50, said Smith, adding that Jordan could have played for 20 seasons if he absorbed less contact throughout his career. The only time Michael and LeBron did it the same was when they had lanes to the basket, Johnson said with a laugh. If youre looking for legends, this is a tier that has Watching LeBron play, you see his pass-first mentality at work. When it comes to this debate, we'll let MJ and LeBron have the last word -- for now. Look back at Elgin Baylor's legendary NBA career. Oh, andthe lazy narrative claiming James shrinksin big games his postseason lines are often more impressive than his regular-season performances. The games in the NBA are evolving, and Michael Jordan was the man who changed the game. At 40, his playing time was below 30 minutes nightly and he was getting up only 11.3 shots, about half what he averaged in his 20s. Jamess all-around playmaking polish led Christie to throw out prepared scouting reports, focusing instead on keeping a running checklist of Jamess shots. was an inspiration, James told reporters on March 7, 2019, the night he passed Jordan for fourth place on the NBAs career scoring list. Abdul-Jabbar had averaged 17.5 points at age 39 but that still was a 20-point rate pro-rated to 36 minutes. Ive failed over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed (MJ). Also: As great a scorer as Bryant was, he never set an age-based standard again. 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). The debate is most often between LeBron James and Michael Jordan, though Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has some backers, too. With these and plenty other factors taken into consideration, LeBron James is the better overall player. He adopts a comic tone in order to amuse and entertain the reader, but also to establish a common ground with the reader in order for them to consider his inquiry that consistent, continuous competition has been the catalyst for bringing James into the discussion for the greatest of, Who is better Lebron James or Michael Jordan? Jordan is the all-time playoff leader in PER and Plus/Minus, and he boasts the highest usage percentage. 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. The harsh debate has gone on ever since Lebrons rookie season in 2004 when people started comparing him to Jordan. Take a closer look at some of the impactful activations hosted by the Kings during Black History Month. LeBron vs. MJ: The GOAT debate is different now, At minimum, it's a debate now. 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). most points scored by a player in their 20th season, LeBron James will be GOAT over Michael Jordan once he gets NBA's scoring record, says Chandler Parsons. Percentage of total points scored from three-pointers, two-pointers and. The author explains that actually, Stephen Curry has no intrigued about the new face of NBA between him and Lebron James. A new poll commissioned by ESPN in 2020 found that 73% of NBA fans believe Jordan is the superior player overall, and the Chicago Bulls legend swept all 17 questions comparing him to James by metrics both on and off the court. 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 If you utilize material unique to a Sports Reference One endless debate. While Lebron plays the Small forward position, but he can play either five position on the court because of his height and weight coming in at 68 250 pounds. Fundamentally it is real, but at the same time, they also have some correspondence with goals and others. So he only could play for the Lakers on weekend passes, traveling to L.A. or wherever else they happened to be scheduled. Last, the most significant difference in these two athletes is their game attitude. 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 LeBron James is currently the fourth-leading scorer in NBA history, 19 points ahead of Michael Jordan, who holds the No. This still doesn't change the fact that Michael Jordan and LeBron James won 2 Olympic gold medals. If youre looking for a more legitimate, i.e., complete season, that would go to Dallas Luka Doncic, snagging the highest scoring average for a teenager at 21.1 while playing 72 games in 2018-19. But it doesn't matter what we say. Guys were smoking cigarettes at halftime in his early days.. 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. When it came to reliability at the line, Jordan (83.5 percent) clearly outpaced James (73.7 percent). Jordan carried the Bulls on his back and won a NBA championship, something LeBron James has not done. 2 scorer (Paul George, 28.0) was greater than from George to No. When Lebron James went to Miami it is was incredible, when Michael Jordan was on the Bulls they were unstoppable, there always been a comparison between the two. 27.3 Player Efficiency Rating (PER) 27.9, 145.9 Value Over Replacement (VORP) 116.1. 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. Basketball fan or basketball people have probably heard or had a strong discussion about who is a greater player: Kobe Bryant or LeBron James? This is true because of his team-player mentality, his ability to carry a team, and his raw physical and athletic capabilities. So it looks like James could end up blowing Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring record out of the water when its all said and done. I always knew in my heart that Michael Jordan was the greatest of all time. There's a very good chance that James blows by 40,000 career points. Rockets: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Nets vs. Knicks: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, 76ers vs. Heat: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Cavaliers vs. Celtics: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Bulls vs. Pistons: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. However, the reporters and fans always want to compare both of them because both players become one of the best players in NBA nowadays. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. However, LeBron James is still averaging around three times more points than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did in his 20th and final season. The G League Ignite guard has been toward the top of several draft boards ahead of the 2023 Draft. For most of our panel, Michael is still the man; but that doesn't mean the argument is entirely one-sided, nor is the opinion unanimous. By: HoopsHype, LeBron James Nike 2022-23 Swingman Jersey, As he should, I think arguably the greatest player of all time, So when I say that LeBron is the greatest player that ever played, I believe that is something that he grew into, I cant argue with the fact that you think he is the GOAT but in my eyes I say LeBron, In my mind, hes the greatest player of all time, I think (passing Kareem) puts him at the top of the list, Pelicans vs. Blazers: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Magic vs. (That's a term of endearment.). (Greatest of All Time). LeBron James could not score in the 4th quarter and when the Cavs needed a spark. Their free throw output is very close; Jordan made 7,327 and LeBron has made 7,101. Wilton Norman Chamberlain enters the fray, after spotting these great scorers five years due to rules and traditions of his day. MP and PER since 1951-52. Once LeBron faces up to see the defense, youre doomed, Smith said. 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