WOLFGANGSPORT

Discount

LeBron vs Jordan: Who’s the Real G.O.A.T?

The LeBron vs Jordan G.O.A.T debate has intensified over the last few years. There’s many things to take into account in the LeBron James Michael Jordan argument. We’ll cover their comparisons and differences to see who comes out on top.

LeBron vs Jordan – Comparison

The first thing we’ll look at in the LeBron vs Jordan debate is box score stats and career averages.

Offensive

Jordan averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game in regular season play. LeBron isn’t far behind in terms of points per game with 27.1 points. LeBron does however have a superior assist record over Jordan, with 7.3 assists verses Jordan’s 5.3 average.

When comparing LeBron vs Jordan it needs to be mentioned that they played with different playing styles. LeBron has shifted between power forward and small forward during his career and he’s elite with shooting, rebounding, dribbling, driving, defending and stealing – he’s pretty much able to do anything. He’s even filled in at point guard and shooting guard.

Michael Jordan similarly could do anything across the floor but he played almost his entire career at shooting guard. Jordan relied on a vertical game, and he could drive toward the basket with bursting manoeuvrability, and able to finesse his way to the rim. As much as Jordan was willing to take on the contact, LeBron’s playing style is much more aggressive and he’ll get to the rim with brute force.

Defense

The Lebron James Michael Jordan debate is made a bit easier as both players hit the floor for 38 minutes a game, and they both averaged 0.8 blocks per game. LeBron however has the superior rebounding game over Jordan with 7.5 rebounds against Jordan’s 6.2.

LeBron is an elite defender who man marks and can lock down any position 1-through-5. It therefore makes absolute sense why he’s got more boards than Jordan. His 6-foot-9, 250-pound hulking frame, and 7-foot wingspan combined with his freak athleticism makes him one of the best off-ball defenders and rim protectors in the league.

Jordan on the other hand was more controlled with 2.3 steals per game and 2.7 turnovers per game. LeBron averages 1.6 steals and 3.1 turnovers. Jordan’s main difference to LeBron defensively is that he’s one of the best perimeter defenders of all time.

His defensive prowess is often overlooked because of just how strong he was ball in hand. He had lightning quick hands which he was able to create quick breaks and block shots with.

Efficiency

Let’s take a look at player efficiency in the LeBron vs Jordan debate. Michael Jordan had a career usage rate of 33% during his career, compared to LeBron’s 31.5% usage rate. It shows that teams based their offense slightly more around Jordan than with LeBron.

During regular season play Jordan shot at 49.7% from the field, 32.7% from the three-point line and 83.5% of his free throws. If there was a weak point in Jordan’s game, it would be his three-point shooting.

By comparison, LeBron shoots at over 50.5% from the field, 34.5% from three-point, and 73.4% from the free throw line – the free throw being a weak point in LeBron’s game.

Jordan played 41,011 minutes on the court, compared to LeBron who’s exceeded 52,000 minutes. Based off these numbers, LeBron presents as the more efficient shooter from the field and he’s done it over a longer period of time. Taking a look at advanced stats however paints a different picture.

LeBron vs Jordan – Advanced Stats

Advanced regular season stats such as Player Efficiency Rating, Value over Replacement Player, Box Plus/Minus, True Shooting percentage and Usage percentage helps us to compare LeBron vs Jordan in a complex way.

Player Efficiency Rating (PER)

Player Efficiency Rating (PER) is an advanced metric that calculates positive box score accomplishments – such as field goals, free throws, 3-pointers, assists, rebounds, blocks and steals – against negative ones such as missed shots, turnovers and personal fouls.

PER’s developer, ESPN.com’s John Hollinger, himself admitted that it provides a better indication of offensive efficiency compared to the defensive end. Jordan has a slightly better player efficiency rating of 27.9, compared to LeBron at 27.3.

Value over Replacement Player (VORP)

Value over Replacement Player (VORP) rating estimates a players overall contribution to their team by providing “a box-score estimate of the points per 100 team possessions that a player contributed over a replacement-level player translated to an average team and prorated to an 82-game season” as per basketball-reference.com.

In the eight seasons from 2005-2013, LeBron averaged a VORP of 9.3, peaking at 11.8 in the 2008-09 seasons. In the last nine seasons before his first retirement, Jordan averaged a VORP of 10.4 and peaked with 12.5 in 1987-88.

Box Plus/Minus (BPM)

The Box Plus/Minus stat estimates a player’s contribution when on court. It takes box score stats from an individual and from a team level to estimate a player’s performance relative to the NBA average. Jordan finished his career with a 9.21 BPM compared to LeBron’s 8.80.

True Shooting Percentage (TS%)

True Shooting percentage measures a players efficiency at shooting the ball which makes adjustments for three-pointers and free throws in its formula. Jordan had a TS% of 56.9% compared to LeBron’s 58.7%.

Usage Rate (Usg%)

Usage rate is calculated by the amount of plays a player was involved in during an offensive possession whilst on the floor. Lebron has a career usage of 31.5% compared to Jordan who finished with 33.2% usage.

LeBron vs Jordan – Playoffs

Michael Jordan topped our list of best NBA playoff players and it’s easy to see why. Jordan won six NBA championships with the Bulls, winning Finals MVP each time, and is the best NBA playoff player of all time. Jordan had a double-double or better in 23% of the playoff games that he played in.

He holds the best playoff scoring average of all-time with 33.4 points per game, in addition to an average of 6.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 2.1 steals.

LeBron’s been to the NBA Finals ten times during his career – eight times in a row between 2011-2018 – and he’s won four NBA championships. His performances go up a level compared to his regular season play with 28.7 points, 9 rebounds and 7.2 assists in the post season.

Jordan’s got the far more superior success rate in The Finals although LeBron did win the 2016-17 championship with one of the weakest NBA Finals teams we’ve ever seen. Jordan came up with many of the best NBA players of all time but again, LeBron proved he too can come up clutch, coming up with the best blocked shot of all time to turn the momentum which swung momentum Cleveland’s way to win his 2017 NBA Finals ring.

LeBron vs Jordan – Achievements

When comparing LeBron James Michael Jordan accolades you really start to understand just how good both players were.

In 15 seasons, Jordan won five MVP awards, six Finals MVP awards and made 11 All-NBA appearances. He was also on nine All-Defense teams and was named as an All-Star 14 different years. Jordan was scoring champion ten times in his career.

LeBron by comparison became scoring champion only once in his career in 2018. The 2022-23 season is LeBron’s 20th NBA season. He won four championships which is less than Jordan, but he single-handedly won Cleveland that famous 2016-17 championship against all the odds.

He’s earned himself four MVP awards, four NBA Finals MVP awards, 18-All NBA selections and six All-Defensive selections.

LeBron vs Jordan – Conclusion

So who’s the real G.O.A.T? Michael Jordan topped our list of the best NBA players of all time and is the real G.O.A.T.

Six-from-six NBA Finals victories is simply legendary and it’s something that just won’t be repeated. LeBron is a superstar, yes, but Jordan created NBA superstardom itself. He took games into his own hands and stepped things up to levels we’ve never seen before as the occasion got bigger.

Jordan’s offensive production is the highest in history based off points per game, and its a remarkable feat across a 15-season career.

What needs to be kept in mind in the Lebron vs Jordan debate is that Jordan dominated the paint in an entirely different era. He took a pounding in the paint in a time when there was no defensive three-second violations – something LeBron hasn’t had to contend with.

LeBron is the slightly more efficient shooter from the field – also reflected in true shooting percentage – but what those numbers don’t show us is the difficulty of shots and the defensive schemes both players had to contend with – the Jordan Rules being a great example of this.

Jordan has a superior Player Efficiency Rating, Value over Replacement Player, Box Plus/Minus and Usage Rate over LeBron and those metrics helps us to create a clearer picture in the LeBron vs Jordan debate.

Defensively they’re harder to compare as Jordan is one of the best perimeter defenders in history, and LeBron can defend 1-through-5 and lockdown anyone in the league. Jordan has nine All-Defensive First Team selections however – a record he shares with Gary Payton, Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant, and quite ahead of LeBron’s five team selections.

Jordan’s mental game, his ability to read his opponents and anticipate what moves they were going to make made him one of the best defenders ever and edges him ever so slightly ahead of LeBron defensively.

LeBron’s 2016-17 NBA Finals performance is something that keeps the LeBron vs Jordan debate relevant. But it’s Jordan’s six-from-six wins in the NBA Finals that truly makes him the G.O.A.T.

Matt Ieriko

Matt Ieriko is a freelance writer who’s evolved his lifelong passion for sport into the creation of WolfgangSport.com in 2020 – an American sports blog covering the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, MLS and more. As an Australian, he’s always been fascinated with the cultural differences and global significance of sports in America.

3 responses to “LeBron vs Jordan: Who’s the Real G.O.A.T?”

  1. Why Messi and Ronaldo Rivalry is the Greatest Ever – Just Another Football Blog

    […] lucky to have witnessed two generational talents in the same era, and like the LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan debate, there’s a case to make why either of these two are the GOAT’s of […]

    Reply
  2. Why Messi and Ronaldo Rivalry is the Greatest Ever – Football Blog FC

    […] lucky to have witnessed two generational talents in the same era, and like the LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan debate, there’s a case to make why either of these two are the GOAT’s of […]

    Reply
  3. Rankings of the World's Richest Football Club for 2023

    […] LeBron vs Jordan: Who’s the Real G.O.A.T? […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply