Last, the most significant difference in these two athletes is their game attitude. Watching LeBron play, you see his pass-first mentality at work. 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. James (38,299 career points) is only 89 points away from doing so. Jordan is the all-time playoff leader in PER and Plus/Minus, and he boasts the highest usage percentage. Some may say James has an Kendrick Perkins ranks LeBron James as No. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. Aaron Williams contributed to the graphics. From the day LeBron James first picked up a basketball, he wanted to be like Mike. Jamess career trajectory is closer to that of the top scorer of all-time, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Data runs from 1946-47 to present On your television. His ability to find the open man makes it difficult to double-team him on the perimeter, forcing wing defenders to play him in single coverage. The top of the people that could change the logo would be the person that is the best to play the game and is Michael Jordan and is also the jumpman logo. He averaged 31.2 points in a career-high 42 minutes nightly. 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. WebGet the latest news, stats, videos, highlights and more about guard Michael Jordan on ESPN. In addition to his more imposing physique, James has surpassed Jordan in other ways. No one here is picking sides (and James career legacy is still being written), but here is a closer look at how the two superstars stack up today when it comes to the regular season, the postseason and their respective achievements and honors (all stats are through Feb. 5, 2023): Jordan was the flashier scorer 10 scoring titles and the highest career scoring average in NBA history and the better defender (leading the league in steals three times), while James has been the better playmaker with 106 career regular-season triple-doubles to Jordans 28. The 13-time All-Star, who was dealt to Phoenix on Feb. 9, has not played in a game since Jan. 8 when he was with the Nets. LeBron does not have the dominance of Michael Jordan. Stymied in his quest for an NBA title, West in his 10th season wasnt about to go gentle into that good night. What about LeBron James? Previously, he was a senior writer at Sports Illustrated covering the NBA. His final seasons thinned that to 24.6, dropping him to 17th. The games in the NBA are evolving, and Michael Jordan was the man who changed the game. They both just want to be the best teammates for their own teams. Two of the greatest players to ever step on a basketball court, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. He had to dial it back to win his titles. Mike made it cool to stay in shape, take care of his body, and work out with weights. Jordan backers can no longer shout "6-0" and declare it over. The two players call people out; they call out their own teammates too. 5 spot with 32,292. Ageless? Both of them would dunk on you. Michael Jordan played in the NBA for fifteen years, made it to the finals six out of those fifteen years and won every time. If LeBron James is not better than Michael Jordan he is just as good because of his career accomplishments, his statistical numbers, as well, Comparison Of Michael Jordan And Lebron James, Who is the greatest basketball player of all time? Given what Barry did at this young age, you automatically wonder what his encore for San Francisco was at age 23, right? In the playoffs, he set the still-standing Finals record of 61 points in Game 5 against Boston. Other younger players look as if they could also cross the 30,000-point threshold. The question thats been roaming around the air for quite awhile now iswho was better at it? 1 draft pick, he studied, imitated and drew profound inspiration from Jordans tongue-wagging dunks, that fadeaway jumper, his competitive fire even the little details of the way Jordan wore his sneakers and shorts. There are many reasons why Lebron can not be the better than Michael Jordan was. 23 years ago today, KOBE BRYANT vs MICHAEL JORDAN at the 1998 #NBAAllStar Game! A current star has complicated that GOAT (greatest of all time) conversation, of course. He can take seemingly lackluster players like Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith, who suffered on other teams, and make them play to their full capability and beyond. 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 key difference is three-point shooting. Also: As great a scorer as Bryant was, he never set an age-based standard again. The author explains that actually, Stephen Curry has no intrigued about the new face of NBA between him and Lebron James. Its pretty cool. Some stats were available earlier in the ABA. At 30, Iverson averaged a career-best 33.0 in 2005-06 but finished behind Kobe Bryant that season. now available on Blu-ray for a limited time. , up dramatically from 95.1 points per game in 2002-03, Jordans final season and the last before James joined the league. Only 139 NBA players have scored more than 15,000 points, and just seven have crossed the 30,000 mark. For comparisons sake, James has played 81 or more just once in his past 13 seasons (2017-18). The two are very arrogant and think very highly of themselves. That included 30.0 ppg in seven summer contests in the Orlando bubble in the virus lockdown season. LeBron Jamesis currently the fourth-leadingscorer in NBA history, 19 points ahead ofMichael Jordan, who holds the No. 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). It's the never-ending debate among today's NBA fans: Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James. The moves they made were the exact same from the fade away jump shot, to the way they dunked the ball. James is the NBA's all-time scoring leader, but Jordan hit major scoring milestones well ahead of James throughout his career. With a film crew following them all season, "the last dance," as coach Phil Jackson called it, would be shadowed by tension and an overwhelming sense that their storied run was coming to an end. This year he may see his first ring. If a role player missed an open shot, Michael was thinking that he could have done that with three guys on him. 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). 1, but plenty of other performers are staying in the mix as the Kia MVP discussion nears the finish line. Jordan has 38 career 40-point games in the playoffs and eight 50-point games (including his NBA playoff-record 63). LeBron James passes Michael Jordan in career field goals James now trails Wilt (12,681) for No. No one ever broke it down to that type of science., Guarding James represented a different challenge because, at 6-foot-8 and 270 pounds, he was taller and heavier than Jordan, who was listed at 6-6 and 218 pounds, his target weight toward the end of his career. James would have to play in nearly 60 games at his current scoring pace to pass Kobe Bryant, at 33,543 points. Six rings. But it doesn't matter what we say. There is an argument to be made for putting LeBron James over Jordan, and James' case only grew stronger after he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer. Through the age of 31, LeBron James has accomplished more than Michael Jordan did through his 19 year career. However, no players have been debated more than Michael Jordan and Lebron James. Two exceptional talents. Stathead: Baseball's Most Powerful Search Tool, Stathead: Basketball's Most Powerful Research Tool, Stathead: Football's Most Powerful Research Tool, Stathead: Hockey's Most Powerful Research Tool, Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. When it came to reliability at the line, Jordan (83.5 percent) clearly outpaced James (73.7 percent). The only time Michael and LeBron did it the same was when they had lanes to the basket, Johnson said with a laugh. 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. He just punished you.. Don't be the person yelling "six rings" with no backup plan. So theoretically. 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. However, it looks like LeBron James is set to smash every single scoring record in relation to longevity. It is streaming now on ESPN+. 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? Not surprisingly, two all-world performers in the regular season have also been dominant in the postseason. He and the Lakers lost in the Finals to New York, but West did win his only scoring title, with 35 games of 30 points or more and 13 more of at least 40. James, by contrast, has led the league in scoring just once, and he peaked as a solo scoring threat in 2005-06, averaging 31.4 points per game and 23.1 shots per game while using 33.8 percent of his teams possessions. James and his closest friends idolized Michael Jordan while they grew up together in Akron, Ohio. Did you know that Michael Jordan averaged about thirty points a game, and retired with six NBA championships. Since 1985, the Jumpman logo, LeBron James will take Jordans throne as The Emmy Award-winning 10-part documentary is now available on Blu-ray for a limited time. pointers and free throws for the top five scorers in NBA history. Jordans influence was one that had never been seen before. "More Than an Athlete" is an eight-episode series that examines the various stages and moments of LeBron James' journey from basketball prodigy to global sports icon, businessman and philanthropist through the lens of the unique bonds of friendship and partnership that forged among four men -- James, Maverick Carter, Randy Mims and Rich Paul -- over more than two decades. Most Valuable Player, NBA Champion, NBA All-Starthese are cover of a book of achievements earned by the most popular player in todays basketball community, Lebron James. 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. If youre looking for legends, this is a tier that has them. TheESPN documentary series "The Last Dance" showed a younger generation of NBA fans that Michael Jordan is much more than a guy who sells retro sneakers. free throws for the top five scorers in NBA history. Their free throw output is very close; Jordan made 7,327 and LeBron has made 7,101. The top three point scorers of all time are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant, respectively. One of a kind. 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. Also read: LeBron James will be GOAT over Michael Jordan once he gets NBA's scoring record, says Chandler Parsons, Be the first one to comment on this story. He lost one series as the favorite (2011 vs. Dallas) but led his teams to a pair of series wins as the oddsmakers underdog (2012 vs. Oklahoma City and 2016 vs. Golden State, when Cleveland memorably erased a 3-1 deficit to beat the 73-9 record-setting Warriors). The author explains that actually, Stephen Curry has no intrigued about the new face of NBA between him and Lebron James. 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