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Over the past month or so, ESPN’s top ongoing basketball subject has been a star-studded comparison between NBA players Michael Jordan and LeBron James. On February 17th, Michael Jordan turned 50 years old, and ESPN and NBA fans everywhere celebrated his career and legacy. At the same time, LeBron James has been playing absolutely stellar basketball, improving his game each year to help establish a legendary career. In fact, in the month of February, the three-time MVP had one of the greatest runs in basketball history, averaging 29.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 1.8 steals, 64.1% shooting and 43.2% three-point shooting while the Heat went 12-1 in that span. After winning his first ring, a Finals MVP and an Olympic gold medal in 2012, it is no surprise that LeBron’s iconic February has triggered an interesting debate between MJ and LBJ.
Michael Jordan is widely considered the greatest basketball player of all time. The Chicago Bulls’ six-time champion and five-time MVP is one of the most admired figures in all of sports. Prior to Jordan’s career, basketball fans often debated who was the greatest NBA player of all time, with players such as Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, Bill Russell, and Oscar Robertson being discussed. However, Michael Jordan revolutionized the game of basketball like never before. Since then, NBA fans have been on a quest to find “the next Michael Jordan”, and many believe that LeBron may be the closest to it.
LeBron James has been through a lot over the last couple years. In the 2010 off season, LeBron aired his “Decision,” an ESPN special in which James announced his plans to leave the city of Cleveland to “take his talents to South Beach” in order to pair with fellow all-stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. Since then, it has been a roller coaster ride for LeBron. Tons of criticism met LeBron and the Heat after stating the team would win “Not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven… championships.” In addition, many criticized LeBron for depending on the talent around him in order to pursue his first NBA championship, something Michael Jordan never did. As the most hated team in all of sports during James’ first season in Miami, the Heat lost in the Finals to Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks. Flash to today and LeBron James has totally revamped his image on and off the court. LeBron took all the criticism as motivation revamping his game particularly as both a facilitator and post player. In 2012, LeBron won his first NBA Championship, NBA Finals MVP, his 3rd MVP and a gold medal during the Olympics. During the 2013 season, LeBron plays with a new sense of well-deserved confidence and attitude and some might say, “It’s LeBron’s world, we’re just living in it.”
I asked some fellow PC students their opinions on the Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James debate. Oren Milstein answered, saying, “LeBron is better. LeBron can play all five positions and do much more on the court,” and Alvaro Torrejon responded, “LeBron James; he’s a better overall player.” On the flip side, Matthew Jacobs and Cameron Reid responded, “Michael Jordan revolutionized the game of basketball we have today and was more clutch.”
So with LeBron playing the best basketball of his career and Jordan turning 50, let’s get down to the numbers. Through his career, Michael Jordan averaged 32.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg and 5.9 apg, and had five league MVPs, six Final’s MVP awards, ten scoring titles, and six NBA championships . LeBron has averaged 27.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg and 6.9 apg, and has 3 league MVPs, 1 Finals MVP, 1 scoring title, and one NBA championship. While LeBron’s statistics are comparable to Jordan, it is important to note that due to only being in the league for nine years thus far, he lags behind in many major accomplishments, specifically NBA championships. Still, LeBron is playing the best basketball of his career, and still has a bright future with many successful seasons ahead. Overall, the numbers and accolades favor Jordan at this point in LeBron’s career, yet many argue it is still too early in “The King’s” career to make any legitimate comparisons.
In reality, LeBron James and Michael Jordan are extremely different players. Jordan was a classic shooting guard who dominated the court by scoring with ease and playing stellar lockdown defense. LeBron is so unique because he can play all five positions on both ends of the floor. Therefore, this is quite the debate. Nevertheless, Jordan and LeBron share the trait of incredible leaders, playmakers and two of the greatest players and athletes we will ever see. It’s probably true we will never see another Michael Jordan. But, it’s becoming a reality that we will never see another LeBron James either.
Sources:
http://www.nba.com/playerfile/lebron_james/
http://espn.go.com/nba/player/_/id/1966/lebron-james