Data runs from 1946-47 to present As stated by ESPN.com (2016) Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is the reigning two-time MVP and a reigning NBA champion, but he has no interest in whether he or Cleveland's LeBron James is considered the "face of the NBA, Curry says. So he only could play for the Lakers on weekend passes, traveling to L.A. or wherever else they happened to be scheduled. If you utilize material unique to a Sports Reference Michael Jordan was six and zero in the National Basketball Association finals, but he did not have the productivity like LeBron James did. That was Michael Jordan every night.. While Jordans brain zoomed in to calculate the precise moment and method to beat his defenders, Jamess zooms out to survey for weaknesses that someone on his team maybe him, maybe not could exploit. (That's a term of endearment.). Six rings. Both of them would dunk on you. 27.3 Player Efficiency Rating (PER) 27.9, 145.9 Value Over Replacement (VORP) 116.1. But within the confines of the NBA, where 37 can feel like dog years to many players, James 2021-22 individual season hasnt just been remarkable. While both players are known for tenacious defense on the wing, Jordan finished first in the league in steals three times in his career. Please see our data coverage page for details. They are the most popular players of their time, maybe the most popular in history. Abdul-Jabbar won two scoring titles early in his career, but he starts a run of dominance here with his biggest scoring season since he was 34. Jordan has 38 career 40-point games in the playoffs and eight 50-point games (including his NBA playoff-record 63). 1 on his list of top NBA players of all time. Michael with no doubt left the NBA as one of the greatest players to ever play the game of basketball. During games he blames the referees for every game error. Both LeBron and MJ won Rookie of the Year for their respective teams. This was the final season in which the Lakers captain averaged at least 20 points, a streak of 17 consecutive seasons. Or 44, easily, guessed Cassell. Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, and Dwyane Wade are among the current crop of players who have copied Jordans style, and they have to thank him because of the enormous popularity that he has brought to the game. Pretty much. Jordan has 38 career 40-point games in the playoffs and eight 50-point games (including his NBA playoff-record 63). Percentage of total points scored from three-pointers, two-pointers and free throws for each season in LeBrons career. Davis agreed, too, with a twist that neatly summarized these two greats differing approaches at this historic crossing. VORP and Win Shares favor James, but PER and Box Plus/Minus go to Jordan. Against Jordan, Smith was expected to freelance off his man at a moments notice to provide help. The debate is most often between LeBron James and Michael Jordan, though Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has some backers, too. 1, but plenty of other performers are staying in the mix as the Kia MVP discussion nears the finish line. Michael Jordan is a superior player to kareem because of his success on and off the court. One of a kind. Over 14 games, James is averaging 34.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game on 51. Percentage of total points scored from three-pointers, two-pointers and free throws for the top five scorers, Percentage of total points scored from three-pointers, two-. You can e-mail himhere, findhis archive hereandfollow him on Twitter. Jay Williams explains why he credits LeBron James as the GOAT due to his willingness to speak out about social issues. Guys were smoking cigarettes at halftime in his early days.. Design and development by Virginia Singarayar. One of the reasons why Lebron can not be said to be better than Jordan is because of how many championships Michael has won compared to Lebron. One reason is because of Jordans NBA finals stats. As many haters and doubters of LeBron James have stated before, he cant win when it counts or he chokes in the Finals or he tainted his championships by forming the big 3, you have to give credit where credit is due. 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. 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. One person who isn't changing his mind anytime soon is First Take's Stephen A. Smith. WebThe 7-foot-1 Hall of Fame center destroyed rims, glass backboards and entire baskets on multiple occasions throughout his career.Michael Jordan is already eternalized in Fancy footwork: Why NBA players love pedicures, Meet Ryan Saunders, 32, the NBAs first millennial head coach. It took until His Airness final season with the Bulls to set the standard for scoring at a particular age. 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. He played both ends at the highest level, Christie said. Please enable JavaScript for the best experience. Now the question Im gonna answer is who is better between Jordan and Kareem. Only 14 players have finished an NBA season at age 18 (or qualified by Basketball References standards). 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? If Jordan got to his preferred spots, he could set up his trademark turnaround. All rights reserved. Bryant tore his Achilles' tendon at age 34, the same age James is now, and the remainder of his career was plagued by injuries. The top three point scorers Both players do not care about who is going to be new faces of NBA or whatever. Mike made it cool to stay in shape, take care of his body, and work out with weights. The Sporting News' Bill Benderhas a helpful guidewith the most importanttalking points if you're ready to discussMJ vs. LeBron, but we're simply here to provide the facts you need to justify your choice. 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. Given the title Air-Jordan, winning dunk competitions, and bring joy to many fans watching his hunger for winning. Not only does he need improvement his team needs it to. And what qualities make one player the GOAT? At his current scoring pace, he should pass Bryant, another Lakers legend, during the 2019-20 season if he maintains good health. Could 45,000 be in play? Through the age of 31, LeBron James has accomplished more than Michael Jordan did through his 19 year career. 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 Compare player statistics for: Kobe Bryant almost blew this Game 7 and the chance to win his 5th championship. LeBron is probably going to pass Kareem and we dont even think of him as a scorer, said Sacramento Kings color commentator Doug Christie, who defended James during his 2003 pro debut. ORB, DRB, STL, BLK, DRtg, BPM, VORP, and per 100 Poss stats since 1973-74. After that, the numbers drop off considerably. Jordan fanshave championships in their back pockets. 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). Six championships. This is where the scoring numbers start to drop off, for two simple reasons: Not a lot of NBA players stick around this long and skills invariably diminish with age. They both just want to be the best teammates for their own teams. Our NBA experts answer the biggest questions about the best basketball players ever. Look back at Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's legendary NBA career. Photo: KevinMazur. Or should that be LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan? Since 1985, the Jumpman logo, LeBron James will take Jordans throne as the greatest of all time. Jordans Bulls were favored to win all six times they reached the Finals, but James teams were the betting underdog seven of 10 times. Christie estimated 40 points per game. LeBron is the exact opposite of Kevin Durant. Since 1985, the Jumpman logo, LeBron James will take Jordans throne as Bryant is followed by Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki (12.0PPG) and fellow Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (10.1PPG). Its pretty cool. James did it last season and again this season. Source: Getty Images. Jordan and Lebron, Mike and the King, have been exalted above all other players, repeatedly for their superior play and championship drive. Ive failed over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed (MJ). What about LeBron James? Note: Because some players birthdays fall during the NBA season, we are going with the age XX year as determined by Basketball-Reference.com. So if youre a stickler for details or a completist, wed wrap this up with 45: Nat Hickey, 1947-48, 1.0 ppg. If youre looking for legends, this is a tier that has Some may say James has an Has not lost in his era. Jordan is the all-time playoff leader in PER and Box Plus/Minus, and he has the highest usage percentage. This tells us that Jordan played better, when the stage was the biggest. , up dramatically from 95.1 points per game in 2002-03, Jordans final season and the last before James joined the league. James is the NBA's all-time scoring leader, but Jordan hit major scoring milestones well ahead of James throughout his career. "I can relate to the players and we can talk about music, shoes and movies because we are similar in ages," said the Timberwolves coach, whose roster has three players older than him. But James tops everyone in VORPand Win Shares. 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. Kyrie on the other hand has no rings. Curiously, his 10th scoring crown came with his lowest average of the bunch, but it was enough to edge Shaquille ONeals 28.3 that season. 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. Baylor scored 34.0 at 28 in 1962-63 and Bernard King put up 32.9 per game for the Knicks in 1984-85. 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? 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. Of those, only LeBron James and Dirk Nowitzki the sixth-highest scorer all time are still playing. 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. Kendrick Perkins ranks LeBron James as No. They are quick to show people that they are the best on the court. Malone at 39 averaged 36.2 minutes, scored 20 or more 48 times and had 21 double-doubles and one triple-double. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Its hard to argue against Jordans unblemished NBA Finals record his teams were never even extended to a Game 7 while LeBron has reached the championship series 10 times with three different teams and a variety of different teammates. Makes it hard to guard someone that big and athletic, while on the other hand Kobe scores so smoothly off the pull up of post up game and so more, Lebron James won 2 rings for winning the championship. James is by far the oldest player to notch 10 straight 25-point games. As previously mentioned, James is currently averaging 30.2PPG in his 20th season. In 1998 the Bulls were playing the Utah Jazz for the NBA Championship, Pippen and Dennis Rodman were hurt for the Bulls and the Bulls were forced to rely almost entirely on Jordan. 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. 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). Two of the greatest players to ever step on a basketball court, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. Through the age of 31, LeBron James has accomplished more than Michael Jordan did through his 19 year career. Here are Jordan and James, in their own words, talking about each other over nearly two decades. About who is going to be new faces of NBA or whatever he played both ends at highest... Favor James, but plenty of other performers are staying in the mix as the greatest to. And he has the highest level, Christie said jay Williams explains why he credits James. Is better between Jordan and Kareem or should that be LeBron James will take Jordans throne as greatest... 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