Why You Are Wrong About the Michael Jordan-LeBron James Debate!

Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James is a debate that’s unlikely to go away anytime soon, as no one has accomplished more in NBA history than these two. Both have defined entire eras that millions of fans have grown up in, and have led them to fall in love with the NBA.

The Different Styles Of LeBron James and Michael Jordan

There are many reasons why it’s so hard to determine who is better. First, they are different types of players. Jordan is a score-first, think-later type who contributes on offense by attacking his defender. He is also one of the greatest perimeter defenders in the history of the league. Janes, however, is an all-around threat who can bully and dominate on offense if he wants. He is at his best when he is making plays for others.

He is like Magic Johnson perfected in a lab. James is a better playmaker and all-around defender. Jordan is a much better scorer and even a better free-throw shooter. Plus, both are extremely clutch and have their own iconic all-time playoff moments, like during the 1998 NBA Finals or the 2016 NBA Finals. One might even say, due to their different styles and the different eras they played in, that they probably can’t even be compared as players, but I don’t believe that. I believe it comes down to what you value in players!

Dominance vs. Longevity!

One of the biggest differences between Jordan and James is how long their reigns lasted vs. how much better they were than everyone else. James has been in the NBA since 2003 and has never been outside of the top 10 best players in the league, with a decade-plus of being the unanimous best player in the world. Jordan’s suspension, I mean his “1st retirement” in the middle of his prime, didn’t help matters. Due to that and being forced to play three years in college, Jordan’s entire career barely lasted longer than LeBron’s prime.

If Jordan had been able to enter the league out of high school, he would have threatened the all-time scoring record. It would have still been tough for Jordan to do it, though, because no player has ever been elite for as long as he has. It is also true that no player has ever been definitively better than everyone else in the league than Michael Jordan. Jordan’s famous shrug game happened because the media tried to make Jordan vs. Clyde Drexler a rivalry when the Bulls met Portland in the NBA Finals.

The media beat the drum that Drexler was a better three-point shooter, only for Jordan to make six 3-pointers in the 1st half of Game 1 of the 1992 NBA Finals. That is the closest anyone got to rivaling the GOAT in his time. This is what I mean by it depends on what you value. If you’re like me, it’s understandable that you value him as a GOAT. You don’t remember a time in the NBA when he hasn’t played a major role. And someone being so great for so long is unprecedented, which is an effort to admire.

Final Thoughts

Jordan’s level of dominance is unprecedented, and of course, his level of hard work, competitiveness, and killer instinct are all great instincts to admire too. Although James isn’t lacking in that either. James has that killer instinct, even if he expresses it differently. As proven when he told his own head coach off after he called a play to have him inbound and pass it to a teammate to shoot the game-winner. James called his own play and hit the game-winner in the 2015 NBA Playoffs himself.