This will be the following criteria used to determine my opinion/fact on the LeBron Jordan
G.O.A.T debate. Since the overall fundamental point of the game of basketball is to score
points and to win games.
In a sense there has never been anybody to score the basketball like Michael Jordan. I
figured we would start out with strictly scoring as the first criteria but from each player’s
first 15 seasons. You claim stats explain it all so I'm going to indulge you in some stats, pay
attention.
Jordan Per Game LeBron
30.1 Points 20.9
6.2 Rebounds 5.5
5.3 Assists 5.9
2.3 Steals 1.6
0.8 Blocks 0.7
2.7 Turnovers 3.5
38.3 Minutes 39.5
49.7 Field goal% 41.7
32.7 3-point% 29.0
83.5 Free throw% 75.4
Jordan Totals LeBron
1,072 Games 1,142 (70 more games)
32,292 Points 31,380
6,672 Rebounds 8,415
5,633 Assists 8,208
2,514 Steals 1,865
893 Blocks 888
2,924 Turnovers 3,966
41,011 Minutes 44,298
Michael Jordan is a far superior defender than LeBron James`
All-Defense First Team – Jordan nine times, James 5 times 9 time All- Defensive Team, Jordan is a
three-time steals winner, James zero times
Jordan won the 1988 Defensive Player of the Year during a time when it was much more difficult to
win that award due to the number of great defenders.
Jordan played great defense in all six of his NBA Finals appearances.
LeBron James allows his opponents to increase their scoring averages in the Finals (see Tony Parker in
2007, Jason Terry in 2011, Kevin Durant in 2012, and Andre Iguodala in 2015 This really isn’t close.
Jordan locks down his opponents, while James struggles.
Michael Jordan is the better shooter
Jordan had a better and more reliable jump shot, especially later in his career which he used to create
open looks when defenses converged on him. LeBron can shoot but he definitely struggles when he
has to make jumpers.
Compare them in the Finals:
Jordan shot over 50% in three NBA Finals (1991,1992,1993) while LeBron did it twice (2014 and
2017). That’s pretty close. How about shooting under 40%? Jordan never shot below 40% while
LeBron did it twice (2007 and 2015).
What about the 3 point shooting in the Finals? Jordan shot over 40% twice with the original 3
point line while James did it once. What about shooting under 30% for the Finals? Jordan never did
while James did it twice (2007 and 2012).
Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: Regular season advanced stats
It's all about which category you choose when it comes to advanced statistics. VORP and Win
Shares favor James, but PER and Box Plus/Minus go to Jordan.
Jordan Advanced LeBron
27.9 Player Efficiency Rating 27.3
116.1 Value Over Replacement 122.6 (due to more games played over time.)
9.2 Box Plus/Minus 8.8
214.0 Win Shares 219.4 (due to more games played over time.)
56.9 True Shooting % 58.8 ( due to the amount of 3pt FGA over time.)
33.3 Usage % 31.6
In terms of longevity, James holds a clear advantage. The gap in some of the numbers will widen and
decrease (FG%) as long as James stays healthy, and he doesn't appear to be slowing down at age 37.
The longer a player plays the more stats they will acquire, that is an obvious observation. LeBron James has
played 19 seasons so his stats are expected to be bloviated like that of somebody who's been playing the game
for two decades in a league that is softer on the rules and actually encourages scoring opposed to defense
because that’s what fans want.
This idea That LeBron would have dominated during the Jordan era isn't thought out that well. Yes he's
bigger and stronger and his body could take more punishment. However, Jordan's era would have led to more
physicality and less scoring for LeBron. Let's not forget he is a great facilitator but he never had to face the BIGS
in the 80’s and 90’s. The 1980s and 1990s were a much tougher era. Defense was better and teams were better.
The 1990s had the most teams that won 50 or 60 games in NBA history for a decade. LeBron never had to play
against the Olajuwons, the Ewings, the Barkelys, the Malone’s or even the Bad Boy Pistons with Bill Laimbeer
and Rick Mahorn and Charles Oakley and Shaquille in the paint.
Despite that, Jordan’s Bulls defeated seven 60+ win teams (a record for a dynasty team in a decade)
and 20 teams that had between 50-59 wins. 27 of the 37 playoff opponents Jordan faced had over 50
wins, while 18 of LeBron’s opponents (out of 37) had under 50 wins. Imagine what Jordan’s numbers
would be if he faced LeBron’s competition. Jordan was guarded by Defensive Player of Year players in the
playoffs several times – Sidney Moncrief, Alvin Robertson, Dennis Rodman and Gary Payton. (Rodman four
times).
And don’t go for this ridiculous “Jordan never played against a zone” argument. First of all, Jordan was an
MVP candidate at age 38 before his knee injury and it was against the legalized zone when he averaged 25.1 pts,
6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists. Only Tracy McGrady averaged 25-6-5 that year in 2002.
Here’s a great video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adusCcba89o showing how much the zone was
used against Jordan. The assumption that zone defenses are not played in the NBA is false. The rules allow for
full-court zone pressure, and because defenses are permitted to aggressively double-team the ball anywhere on
the floor, teams play de facto zones in the frontcourt, too. To one degree or another, every NBA team uses some
type of zone. 1996 finals George Karl “said that the Utah Jazz played zone defense 96% of the time” and they still
lost to Jordan, twice.
