Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: Who is the G.O.A.T.?

 April 15, 2024 

One of the most controversial debates in sports over the past decade has been about who is the greatest basketball player of all time. Certainly, the majority of sports savants tend to believe that Michael Jordan is, in fact, the greatest basketball player to have ever lived. Nevertheless, the question remains due to the most prolific and exceptional player in the league today, LeBron James. His overall dominance in the game over the past 20-plus years has changed the conversation and how fans worldwide view this nuanced debate. The argument typically begins and ends with Jordan being 6-0 in the NBA Finals, leading fans to believe that James can never catch him in this discussion. However, people like me will continue to fight in hopes of changing the narrative to LeBron James being the greatest basketball player of all time. 

    Since the beginning of the NBA in 1949, only a handful of players have dominated the game of basketball at the highest level. These players include Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James. Furthermore, out of those five players, most Americans believe that Michael Jordan is the greatest player to ever do it. Their reasoning stems from his impact, achievements, mentality, and statistics, which are far beyond those of everyone who has played in the NBA. Some additional points include comments on his clutchness and the ability to dominate in a more physical era. Even though those points are more than valid and make compelling arguments, they still aren’t strong enough cases to prove that Michael is the greatest player ever.

        The most commonly used points that favor Jordan in this debate are his numbers and achievements. In Jordan's illustrious 15-year career, he was able to put up stupendous numbers that people had never seen before. When it pertains to “Per Game” averages, Michael finished his career with 30.1 points, 2.3 steals, 5.3 assists, and 6.2 rebounds while shooting 83.5% from the free throw line and 49.7% from the field. Although those numbers are astonishing, his postseason metrics were slightly more impressive, which are the most essential statistics to voice upon. Michael’s playoff  “Per Game” stat sheet reads the following: 33.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.7 assists on 82.8% from the free throw line and 48.7% from the field. In regards to accomplishments, nobody in the history of the NBA has achieved more than Jordan, and ironically, he did it in a surprisingly short span. In that 13-year window, Jordan won the NBA Finals six times without a single defeat and was the Finals MVP in all those victories. Furthermore, he won 10 scoring titles and five regular-season MVPs, as well as having nine All-Defensive and 11 All-NBA selections under his belt. 

       An additional key factor that favors Jordan was his mentality, which made him a “cold-blooded killer.” His determination and competitiveness to win games led analysts to believe he was made of the right stuff. Michael didn’t like to pass. Alternatively, he wanted the basketball in his hands, which led to the Bulls winning plenty of games throughout his time in Chicago. Jordan's substantial amounts of scoring led to him having the highest scoring average in NBA history at 30.1 points per game. When it comes to influence, most fans believe that Michael Jordan has had the most significant impact on the game of basketball, and it's not even close. Consider everything Jordan did, but nothing was more influential than his sneakers. The “Air Jordan” brand he built drew so much attention that Nike made over $100 million by the end of the first year being released. After Jordan changed the sneaker culture forever, Nike’s Jordan brand became the most prominent shoe brand ever. Kids and players all around the world wore his shoes after being inspired by him, which made them “want to be like Mike.” 

   On the contrary, the case for LeBron being the greatest isn’t blasphemous by any means necessary. The comparisons between himself and Jordan didn’t start happening until James won his first championship in 2012. Since then, he single-handedly dominated the league for a decade and counting; that says enough in itself. Yet, there is much more to unfold in the case of LeBron being the greatest player of all time. The arguments favoring LeBron consist of longevity, basketball IQ, overall gameplay, records, and more formidable finals opponents than Jordan. In fact, these are the arguments I typically use when debating this topic. Not only do I believe these compelling arguments to be true, but I have proof and statistics to back them up. 

   The first set of arguments that side with James include his overall gameplay and records. Unlike Jordan, LeBron is much more than a scorer and is recognized as the smartest and best overall basketball player to ever do it. Due to his size at 6’9”, he can defend one through five and rebound the basketball a tad bit better than Jordan, at 7.5 per game. However, LeBron’s game is mainly based on passing and getting his players involved, which explains why he averages 7.4 assists per game for his career. In addition, during the year 2019, LeBron achieved his career-high in assists at 10.2 per game. Although his passing ability and basketball IQ are off the charts, he can still score the basketball at an all-time level with a career average of 27.1 points per game. Speaking of scoring, the most significant record on his resume and in sports history was his ability to reach 40,000 points, which hadn’t been done before. This record was set just one season after he broke the all-time scoring record which was held by the late great, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. This immense milestone that LeBron achieved will doubtfully be broken or touched at all. He simply defied the odds and broke this record, which will never be forgotten.       

    The most overlooked factor in LeBron’s career was the juggernaut teams he played against in the finals. Analysts and fans continuously criticize him for his 4-6 record in the NBA Finals, but there is context behind those losses that nobody seems to acknowledge. LeBron’s first trip to the finals was in 2007 against the “dynasty” San Antonio Spurs. That season, The San Antonio Spurs were led by prime Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker, making it extremely difficult for LeBron alone on the Cavs to beat that "Big 3." This was also James’ fourth season in the league, and having just turned 22, his lack of experience in big games and little to no help played a huge factor in the 4-0 loss in that series. The other “dynasty” James encountered in his career was the Golden State Warriors. He faced them four times and only managed to win once, which was in 2016. In the first series against the Warriors, LeBron and the Cavaliers lost two of their three all-star players, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. Once those two players went down, the team was severely damaged and left with LeBron all on his own once again. In the very next series, the Cavaliers had all three of their all-stars healthy and ended up defeating the Warriors after coming back from a 3-1 deficit. This also sparked LeBron’s career as being the only franchise to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals. However, the Warriors quickly realized they weren’t good enough to beat a LeBron-led Cavs team, so they recruited one of the best players in the league, Kevin Durant. After they acquired Durant, they didn’t lose the finals against LeBron again, which made it almost impossible for the Cavs to compete against. 

       The most compelling argument in favor of LeBron in the G.O.A.T. debate is his longevity and sustained excellence over an astonishing period of time. Superstars of this magnitude typically begin to decline after their 12th season in the league. However, LeBron has been playing for 20-plus seasons and still hasn’t lost a step. Throughout his entire career, James has been to 10 NBA Finals, including eight straight, which is something only a handful of players can say they did. In terms of overall total production on the basketball court, anything over 40 is exceptional. Out of the 21 years James has played in the NBA, he has exceeded 40 in 19 seasons throughout his career. He simply has been playing at one of the highest levels possible for the longest period of time. Sure, Michael’s apex was higher than LeBron’s, but all that means is he was exceptionally great for a short span of time; “The flame that burns twice as bright, burns half as long”-Lao Tzu. This quote by the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu demonstrates the idea of excellence and the sustainability of it. LeBron's flame burns 95% as bright as Jordan's, but it's lasting so much longer. So, when it comes to this specific point, how much longer will it be until James’ overall production over this extensive period of time will just be too overwhelming for fans and analysts to deny that LeBron is, in fact, the greatest player of all time?

  The debate on whether Michael Jordan or LeBron James is the greatest player of all time can go on for hours and never be settled. Each person has their own views and reasonings as to why their player is the greatest. Most people who grew up in the 60s and 70s believe that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the greatest; it just all depends. Of course, I was born in the early 2000s, so I grew up watching LeBron, so there is some bias behind my reasonings. Yet it is safe to say that no matter who your G.O.A.T. is, respect must be put on both players' names due to their electrifying talent and abilities displayed throughout their careers. However, when it comes to my opinion on this nuanced debate, I truly believe that LeBron is the greatest player of all time, and my goal is to change the narrative for the rest of time.