Michael Jordan once told ESPN’s Michael Wilbon to stop criticizing LeBron James

Jordan’s résumé remains unmatched by most measures. He averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists during his Hall of Fame career with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards.

He won five MVP awards, six championships, six Finals MVPs, a Defensive Player of the Year, three steals titles and 10 scoring titles. He also set the NBA record for most points in a playoff game with 63 and remains first all-time in points per game.

LeBron’s body of work, however, keeps growing. He owns career averages of 27.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists with the Cavaliers, Heat and Lakers. He has four MVPs, four championships and four Finals MVPs.

He also is the league’s all-time leading scorer and the only player with at least 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists. He recently became the first to surpass 40,000 career points.

Jordan made 14 All-Star teams, 11 All-NBA teams and nine All-Defensive squads. LeBron has 20 All-Star nods, 20 All-NBA honors and six All-Defensive selections. He also remains the only player to win Finals MVP with three different teams.

Jordan has consistently said he does not get caught up in cross-era comparisons. In 2020, he summed up his stance on LeBron.

“We played in different eras,” Jordan said at the time. “He’s an unbelievable player, one of the best in the world. I’m a fan of his. I love watching him play. Comparisons are just a standard of measurement, but he is a heck of a basketball player without a doubt.”

The debate is unlikely to fade, especially with LeBron still active and Jordan still considered the measuring stick. But even behind the scenes, as Wilbon found out, Jordan has not been shy about defending today’s stars.