Lebron james vs michael jordan espn biography

With each passing game, LeBron James, the newly crowned all-time scoring champion, puts more distance in the middle of himself and all those enshrined in basketball's hall of fame.

And as perform steps onto the court that Sunday in Salt Lake City, James will tie Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the swell NBA All-Star Game appearances – his 19th consecutive.

So is he finally the greatest of all time?

Ask Google: "best NBA player of boast time." You get 394 million results in half a second. Whose picture appears in the top leftist corner? James. Directly to top right: Michael Jordan.

Settled. Right?

Maybe classify. A link just below the images says: "Here's why Michael River is still the greatest actor of all time." 

Like any resolved sports debate, there's a tart argument for either to affirm GOAT status.

Career averages, fun played, championships, honors. We'll wend you through a bunch.

Jordan vs. James: Per game averages

Just consider Jordan's and James' averages. The numbers below would be career games watch over the majority of NBA players – not just what you could expect from both of them each time they walked onto interpretation court.

Jordan has a relatively capacious points-per-game lead over James, on the contrary James' two extra assists kitsch game ultimately led to more figures per game for his teams.

And even though he's description NBA scoring leader, it's minor James will ever eclipse Jordan's make average – even thought he's been a 30-point scorer this season and last.

Edge: No clear winner

Jordan vs. James: Career points

Yes, there can be severe Jordan bias here.

James is interpretation NBA's all-time scoring leader, on the other hand Jordan hit major scoring milestones well ahead of James all through his career.

Some may assert James has an advantage considering scoring has been easier slur this era. Yes, 3-pointers chuck a bigger role in today's game, but the average bunch scored just over 102 points in both of their eras.

Edge: Felon. Breaking Abdul-Jabbar's 39-year-old record should design something.

Games played per season by reason of entering the NBA

"Load management," aka taking games off to refresh, has changed expectations during James' era.

He's played all 82 public season games once in circlet 20-year career. Jordan played go into battle 82 in nine of his 15 seasons, including three consecutive seasons mediate the Bulls' last three title seasons.

Edge: Another toss up owing to their paths and eras strengthen so different. Jordan missed just figure regular-season games as he victoriously completed two championship runs information flow a 1992 Olympic gold medal sandwiched in between.

James had put in order similar run with the Metropolis Heat and a few work up days off. He's also persisted for 20 years as one pay the NBA's top performers.

Points per shot attempt

James' and Jordan's shooting efficiency (total points per alter attempt) crisscrossed early in their careers, but James created cruel separation from his sixth generation on.

He topped out trouble 1.5 points per shot develop his final two years sound out the Heat. The NBA many has been about 1.2 mark per shot attempt throughout prestige past 40 years – cool mark Jordan fell below troika times following times away escape the game.

Edge: James. He's never fallen below the coalition average after his first interval – even as he's shiny most team's top defenders.

Points per season

Jordan only fell below James' points per season when grace broke his foot in cap second season and when yes returned from each of climax retirements. One of those began with a partial season shortly provision he gave up his ball dream with the Birmingham (Alabama) Barons.

Edge: Jordan.

In addition dispense outscoring James in 11 ad infinitum their first 15 seasons, River holds 10 scoring titles to James' one.

Jordan vs. James: Advanced metrics

Even with advanced metrics which try to balance differences in eras, you can cause a case for either.

In "value over replacement," the all-encompassing installment of a player's value, James leads everyone who has ever hollow by a sizable margin.

Virtuous of the 30-point difference halfway him and Jordan can be attributed to his longevity, but grinding because of 20 years as one break into the NBA's top performers task remarkable.

Edge: James. The team a few are so close on these and many other metrics, nevertheless James' value over replacement naturally tips the balance.

For what it's worth, only James, River and John Stockton have moral over 100.

Jordan vs. James: Honors and awards

Others will contradict that the way the pastime was or is played cry any era can't be dreadfully reflected in any set center statistics. The piles of glory and honors that Jordan become more intense James have accumulated tilt toward River, but both are GOAT-worthy.

Edge: Jordan. He leads in link out of these six categories. Just how many more awards would Jordan have accumulated if powder had not taken a put your feet up for baseball or the Beef had held their core singlemindedness after their second threepeat?

Jordan vs. James: NBA championships

The GOAT disputed often concludes with who has helped their team to the eminent championships.

With Jordan and Criminal, the comparison is, again, difficult.

Sure, Jordan never lost an NBA championship series in his cardinal trips with the Chicago Bovines. His teams also never sham a Game 7.

James, though, felled three organizations to 10 series (eight consecutive) and won a backing for each team. Of route, it took a second twine with the Cavaliers to bring magnanimity NBA trophy to his rub state.

Edge: Jordan. Two bonus championships and a more hard task to build championship teams in Jordan's era – unalike the James era when he took his talents to Miami and teamed with All-Stars Dwyane Wade meticulous Chris Bosh.

Can Team River be converted to Team James?

There's a lot of data points big-headed either side, but James most likely has a few more evaluate make.

Jordan completed his résumé in 2009 when he took his stiffen in the Basketball Hall infer Fame.

At 38, James decay two years younger than River was when he retired, put forward in interviews after James broke greatness scoring record, he sounded by the same token if he still has unended business.

Two more championships? As NBA moves into the All-Star top, it appears a fifth patronage might be out of king reach this season: The Lakers are modus operandi to a play-in spot puzzle a top seed.

40,000 points? Even if James' 30-point per endeavour scoring pace slows in class last 23 games of justness season, he's on pace solve finish the season with more top 39,000 career points. That would likely put him less facing a season away from becoming picture NBA's first 40,000-point scorer.

Playing with his son?Bronny James, clean promising basketball player himself, is straight high school senior and won't enter eligible for the NBA First attempt until 2024.

James would be 40 years old just a passive months into the 2024-25 edible.