Dan Abbate
Jordan vs. Lebron: Difference Between the Greatest and the Best
Throughout the history of basketball, there has been a constant discussion about who is the greatest player in the game’s history. Audiences and analysts have been debating this topic for decades, with different players making their mark on the league and putting their names in contention for the greatest of all time list. Players in the NBA come and go, but two specific athletes have solidified themselves as the top two players in the league’s history: Michael Jordan and Lebron James. Jordan had his run of dominance from 1985 until 1998 with his astonishing displays of athleticism and superior scoring ability. In the modern era, James entered the league in 2003 and is still the best in the league at the age of 36.
The main debate around James vs. Jordan is simple; Which of these players is the greatest of all time? Sports fans and journalists argue about this everyday on social media and on television. However, I believe that there is a better way to look at this problem. There are strong arguments that support the idea that Lebron James is the best player in the history of the NBA, but Michael Jordan is the greatest of all time. That may sound puzzling, but it is actually quite simple.
The first thing that comes to mind when considering the greatness of an NBA player is accolades. In this aspect, Jordan has a clear edge over James. Some of Jordans notable accomplishments include: Defensive player of the year, six NBA championships, five MVP’s, nine time All-Defensive first team selection, 10 time scoring leader and three time steals leader. Additionally, Jordan has never lost an NBA finals series. Although James has played 17 seasons compared to Jordan’s 15, James has yet to accomplish most of the things that Jordan did in his career. This includes the defensive player of the year award, leading the league in steals, being the scoring leader multiple times, and significantly less All-Defensive team selections. Lebron’s finals record of 4-6 is another knock to James’ greatness. Jordan’s superior defense is another thing that sets him apart from James’, earning him more defensive awards and All Defensive team selections throughout his career.
In terms of being the better player out of the two, the advantage can be given to James. Throughout his career, Lebron has consistently showcased the ability to make his teammates better. This was on full display in 2007 when he led a mediocre Cavaliers team to the NBA finals, where they were promptly dismembered by a full powered Spurs dynasty. From 2011-2018, James appeared in the NBA finals every single season while being the best player on each of those teams. Throughout his career, Lebron has averaged 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. In comparison, Jordan only had one season in his career where he matched those stats. While Jordan is the better scorer and has led the league in scoring 10 times, James’ eight assists per game would be equal to or greater than the total amount of points that Jordan was responsible for per game.
In the playoffs, both players elevate their game and perform at their peak level. Jordan averaged a fantastic 33 points, six rebounds, and six assists in the playoffs, and Lebron turns his game to another level while averaging 28 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. It is hard to draw conclusions about the GOAT debate from playoff statistics in this case. While it is true that Jordan is a clean 6-0 in the NBA finals, James has consistently led any team he is on to the finals after dismantling the conference series. James’ losses in the finals may not be as damaging to his legacy as it seems because of the level of competition that he has faced. In 2016, James led the Cavaliers to beat the record breaking 73 win Golden State Warrior team in seven games, one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of sports. After that victory, the already historic Golden State team added the second best player in the league, Kevin Durant. James proceeded to lose the next two finals series to the Warriors. There are not many players in the history of the league that can defeat the team who set the record for most regular season wins in NBA history, and there is no player throughout the history of the league that would have been able to defeat the 2017 and 2018 Warriors teams. Playoff statistics between these two players equally show an increased level of focus and play when they are trying to win a championship.
It became clear while interviewing people for this article that individuals from different era’s and age groups will have different opinions on who the better or greater player is between James and Jordan. For example, my Uncle, Lou, was able to witness Jordan at the peak of his career. He stated that “If kids today could go back and live through what Jordan did, they wouldn’t think so highly of Lebron. Mike was different from any athlete I have ever watched.” In contrast, I asked my good friend Brian, who acts as head manager for Iona’s men’s basketball team, to tell me who he thought was better. He immediately said Lebron. When I asked him why, he said “Jordan was an incredible individual player, but the way Lebron can lead a team is unique. Nobody else can score 30 points while looking to pass most possessions. Jordan could never elevate his teammates like that.” I was not surprised by these different opinions. People who grew up watching Lebron dominate the league will likely say that he’s the best. Those who grew up watching Jordan take over the 90’s are more likely to say that he’s the best. It is hard to find an objective opinion on this debate from typical sports fans when asking about Michael Jordan vs. Lebron James.
My main point is that accolades and accomplishments have solidified Jordan’s place as the greatest basketball player of all time. However, James’ incredible statistics and overall impact on his teams have created a strong enough argument that James’ is the best player of all time. Regardless, there is no doubting the impact on the world that both of these individuals have had. In the post Bird-Magic era of the NBA, people needed a new superstar to rally around. Jordan came along and made the NBA a global phenomenon. Without him, basketball would not be as popular as it is today. James’ came along shortly after Jordan, and shocked the world with his skillset as soon as he entered the league at 18 years old. 17 seasons later, James’ has helped the NBA blow up on social media, spreading basketball to people in every part of the world. Opinions aside, every NBA fan and basketball player should be grateful for the contributions that the top two players in the history of the league have given us.
CITATION: BasketballReference.com
Data Journalism 395 