Jordan vs. LeBron plus-minus at age 40

The Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James GOAT debate is never-ending. There are always different criteria—who won more championships, how tough the competition was, and more.

One of the newest points of argument is comparing the two greats at age 40. Not many players have played at age 40 and most weren’t too good.

Jordan and LeBron are the two best players at age 40 in NBA history and it’s not up for debate. Most use this argument to enhance LeBron’s GOAT placement, as King James is certainly the better player at 40.

The problem with comparing the two players at this advanced age is the style of play in the league. When Jordan was on the Washington Wizards, the game was played slowly with a lot of defense.

Today, the game is fast-paced with little defensive effort by most teams, outside of the Oklahoma City Thunder. So, what does this mean?

Sometimes, stats can be deceiving. A player can have great stats but really they played poorly. Meaning, most of their stats came when it was garbage time, for example.

This can make a player look as if they played better than they really did. And with today’s high-pace and lack of defense, it is easier to accumulate stats.

Recently on X, a user shared a graphic comparing Jordan and LeBron at age 40. They used the plus-minus rating as their criteria.

This is a great metric to use, as it shows how effective a player was while he was on the floor. In 2002-03, Jordan was +6 while on the floor. This season, LeBron was a -54 while playing.