The NBA constitutes a good part of basketball history. The best league in the world has been home to the greatest legends of the sport, players who have raised their level by surpassing unknown margins, generating stories that keep the viewer in suspense, wanting to know what the next barrier will be to break.
It is impossible to understand the history of this League and this sport without talking about certain names: from Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain to Kobe Bryant or Stephen Curry, passing through Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Tim Duncan or Larry Bird. But without a doubt the two names that resonate the most when we talk about the best of all time in this discipline are Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
Jordan and LeBron’s careers transcend personal tastes or animosities. Normally the figures that achieve such relevance arouse many passions as well as a lot of animosity, and the eternal debates surrounding their under or overvaluation take over the covers of the media and magazines, the talks in schools or offices and the unnecessary conflicts lacking in plot. family after-dinner meals. But the size of ‘Air Jordan’ and ‘King James’ minimizes any suggestion that their careers are valued above what they deserve.
When Jordan put the third and final stamp on his basketball career, it seemed that it would take many, many years to see a player who would allow himself the luxury of being realistically compared to the one on the Bulls. On April 16, 2003, MJ, wearing the uniform of the Washington Wizards, played his last game in the NBA precisely against the Chicago Bulls, whom he led to sporting glory half a dozen times a few years ago. It meant the end of an era, the goodbye of the greatest.
A little more than two months passed when, on June 26 of that same year, the Cleveland Cavaliers selected LeBron James as the first pick in one of the best drafts in history, a young man from Akron who had revolutionized high school basketball, which was already They were nicknamed The Choosen One. It might seem like a lot of pressure for an 18-year-old kid to enter the best league in the world with the ‘Chosen’ banner months after the best in history retired. However, it wasn’t enough for LeBron.
LeBron James at St. Vincent-St. Mary in 2002.RON KUNTZDIARIO AS
Michael Jordan vs LeBron James: a review of their careers
Two decades later, the figure of both players has been magnified even more if possible. The memory of MJ’s exploits throughout his career positions him as the greatest in virtually any top made. And each season of a LeBron James who at 38 years old continues to dominate the league and burst statistics is one more argument to put him fully in the GOAT ointment.
How many games have Michael Jordan and LeBron James played?
Perhaps the greatest determining factor in the debate between both players, ignoring the fact that their careers developed at different times, they never coincided in active activity, is the seasons and games that each one has played, which fully affects the total statistics of their trajectories.
Michael Jordan debuted in the 1984-85 season after being selected by the Bulls at number 3 in the draft, and it didn’t take him long to show what he could be, averaging 28.2 points per game. Throughout his career he retired twice: in 1993, when he already had 3 rings with the Bulls and was the best player in the League, to dedicate himself to baseball, a retirement that led to the famous “I’m back” as an announcement of his return; and the second in 1999, after winning another “three-peat” in Chicago and collecting 6 championships, returning a year later to the Washington Wizards, already being his last stage.
LeBron James has played continuously since 2003, his debut year, and currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, a team in which he won his fourth ring after the one he won in the Cleveland Cavaliers and the two consecutive ones he won with the Miami Heat. Despite his age, the level of play and physicality that he is showing leaves no clues as to when his retirement may come.
LeBron James in Game 7 of the 2016 Finals.
In total, Michael Jordan played a total of 1,251 games, 1,072 in the regular league and 179 in the playoffs. James, for his part, has played, so far, 1,436 regular season games and 282 playoff games, a total of 1,718 games that mean a fairly big difference for ‘King James’, who will also continue to increase his numbers.
Michael Jordan vs LeBron James: who has scored the most points
The answer is clear. LeBron James is the leading scorer in NBA history and recently surpassed the 39,000 point mark, adding a total of 39,038. Michael Jordan is number five in this ranking and scored a whopping 32,292 points. The difference is substantial in favor of James, but this does not mean that he is a better scorer than Jordan was.
As we have already mentioned, the longevity of LeBron’s career plays in his favor in the totals, but if we look at the averages the story is different. Throughout his career, Jordan averaged 30.1 points per game in the regular season, while the Lakers’ player has an average of 27.2, a great mark but not enough to compete with MJ.
Michael Jordan on the Chicago Bulls.
And what about the hot moments? When the playoffs arrive and the ball is hot, neither of these two players have been ones to hide. What’s more, both improve their scoring averages, in which Air Jordan continues to be superior with 33.4 points per game compared to the 28.4 that LeBron averages.
Who has given more assists between LeBron James and Michael Jordan?
This statistic is dominated by James. Throughout Michael Jordan’s career, he gained a reputation as a selfish player that does not fully correspond to reality. An average of 5.5 assists for a scorer of his caliber does not define an individualistic player, who also knew how to give up the ball on important shots, like that memorable shot by Steve Kerr in the sixth game of the 1997 finals against Utah Jazz.
One of the great examples of LeBron James’ versatility is his assist statistics. He averages 7.3 per game, adding more than 10,000 throughout his career and occupying fourth position in the historical classification of this aspect of the game, something unusual as he is not a pure point guard.
Michael Jordan vs LeBron James: who was the better rebounder
Rebounding is one of the most important aspects of basketball. Logically, it is a statistic that is influenced by height, which works in favor of LeBron James over Jordan. During his career, Michael averaged a total of 6.3 rebounds per game, while James adds an average of 8.3 catches each night.
In other defensive statistics such as steals or blocks, Michael Jordan places his averages somewhat above those of LeBron James. Both have been outstanding offensive players, but also great defensive assets for their teams, with Jordan winning an award for Best Defender of the Year in the 1987-88 season.
Honors of LeBron James and Michael Jordan
Not only the statistics support these two great players. The track record that each of them has accumulated in their careers is impressive, both individually and collectively. At the team level, Michael Jordan led the Bulls to six NBA rings. LeBron has 4 championships, but with the incentive of having won them on three different teams: two in the Miami Heat, one in the Cleveland Cavaliers and the last in the Los Angeles Lakers.
In 1991 he won the first of his 6 NBA championship rings. The others were in 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1998, all with the Chicago Bulls. Ken Levine GETTY
On an individual level, his achievements do not leave anyone indifferent either. Michael Jordan was the MVP of the finals in each of the six rings won, he won the regular season MVP five times, he has been an all star 14 times, Best Defender of the Year in 1988 and Best Rookie of the year in 1985. He has appeared 11 times in the ideal quintet of the season in the NBA and 9 times in the best defensive quintet. Additionally, he won the All Star dunk contest twice, leaving iconic moments throughout his career.
LeBron James also has the same Finals MVPs as there are rings, four. He has also been a 4-time NBA MVP, one less than MJ. He has been an all star 19 times, he has been in the NBA’s best quintet 13 times and in the defensive quintet 5 times. He was also voted rookie of the year in his rookie season.
It is important to keep in mind that all of the aforementioned statistics are subject to change due to LeBron James, who is still active and whose numbers are not exactly declining, so it cannot be ruled out that he will add another championship or individual award, in addition to others that They seem almost certain as new participations in the All Star or the increase of the statistics at stake.
But as we already know, legends are much more than numbers. Putting the data on the table allows us to compare two great players, but the numbers cannot influence the emotions, the feelings, everything that figures of this caliber can provoke in the fans, the franchises and the cities through which they pass.
For the moment, we will have to enjoy the remaining years of King James, keeping alive in the memory how great Jordan was, and the fact that the debate is alive is nothing more than the consequence of the exploits that both They have gotten.
2023-11-24 14:24:50
#Comparison #Michael #Jordan #LeBron #James #career #statistics #NBA
