Who’s The GOAT Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: Let The Key Stats Define It

As far as NBA is concerned, there have been several discussions regarding whether LeBron James can topple Michael Jordan as the greatest player of all time ever since he was called The Chosen One. And while a detailed comparison of LeBron James’ stats to those of Michael Jordan is necessary, it is only fair to remark that both players are exceptional.

Despite comparisons between the two, LeBron grew up idolising Michael Jordan. For starters, he mimicked him in terms of clothing, footwear, and even pitching techniques. LeBron eventually entered the main league and even wore the number 23 so it was only a matter of time. Join us as we explore the Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James GOAT controversy and the extent of each player’s achievement.

LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan regular season stats

Jordan is better at scoring, but James consistently gets rebounds and provides more assists. Both players have a reputation for playing tough defence on the wings, but three times in his career, Jordan led the NBA in steals. James has not yet won a title for steals.

James has a distinct advantage in terms of longevity. If James stays healthy, which he doesn’t seem to be doing at age 38, the disparity in overall numbers will grow.

Jordan Per Game LeBron
30.1 Points 27.2
6.2 Rebounds 7.5
5.3 Assists 7.3
2.3 Steals 1.5
0.8 Blocks 0.8
2.7 Turnovers 3.5
38.3 Minutes 38.1
49.7 Field goal % 50.5
32.7 3-point % 34.4
83.5 Free throw % 73.5
Jordan Totals LeBron
1,072 Games 1,408
32,292 Points 38,325
6,672 Rebounds 10,567
5,633 Assists 10,345
2,514 Steals 2,176
893 Blocks 1,065
2,924 Turnovers 4,920
41,011 Minutes 53,668

Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: Regular season advanced stats

It’s all about which category you choose when it comes to advanced statistics. VORP and Win Shares favor James, but PER and Box Plus/Minus go to Jordan.

Pick a side, nerds! (That’s a term of endearment.)

Jordan Advanced LeBron
27.9 Player Efficiency Rating 27.3
116.1 Value Over Replacement 145.9
9.2 Box Plus/Minus 8.8
214.0 Win Shares 254.3
56.9 True Shooting % 58.8
33.3 Usage % 31.6

Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: Playoff stats

Jordan and James produced similar playoff statistics to those from the regular season. Despite James’ career-long surge in usage and effectiveness from beyond the arc, it’s important to note that he shoots approximately the same percentage as Jordan from that distance.

Also, contrary to the clumsy myth that James loses his edge in crucial contests, his postseason stats are frequently better than those from the regular season. That is a poor strategy for debating him.

Jordan Per Game LeBron
33.4 Points 28.7
6.4 Rebounds 9.0
5.7 Assists 7.2
2.1 Steals 1.7
0.9 Blocks 0.9
3.1 Turnovers 3.7
41.8 Minutes 41.5
48.7 Field goal % 49.5
33.2 3-point % 33.7
82.8 Free throw % 74.0
Jordan Totals LeBron
179 Games 266
5,987 Points 7,631
1,152 Rebounds 2,391
1,022 Assists 1,919
376 Steals 454
158 Blocks 252
546 Turnovers 975
7,474 Minutes 11,035

Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: Playoff advanced stats

Jordan is the all-time playoff leader in PER and Box Plus/Minus, and he has the highest usage percentage. But James tops everyone in VORP and Win Shares.

So, yeah, these guys are pretty good.

Jordan Advanced LeBron
28.6 Player Efficiency Rating 28.2
24.7 Value Over Replacement 33.9
11.1 Box Plus/Minus 10.2
39.8 Win Shares 55.7
56.8 True Shooting % 58.3
35.6 Usage % 32.0

Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: Accolades and awards

And here’s the big one. Jordan fans have championships in their back pockets. MJ went a perfect 6-0 in the NBA Finals and never needed a Game 7 to win those series.

James has gone 4-6 in his 10 NBA Finals appearances, but he also controlled the Eastern Conference with the Cavaliers and Heat for almost an entire decade.

Jordan Accolades LeBron
6 Championships 4
5 MVPs 4
6 Finals MVPs 4
11 All-NBA 18
9 All-Defense 6
14 All-Star 19
10 Scoring titles 1

Who Won More?

LeBron James has participated in 1,371 regular season games, winning 65.4 percent of them. He has an 899-472 career record. Michael Jordan, meanwhile, has prevailed in 65.9% of his contests. With 1,072 games played, he has a 706-366 career record. LeBron James has won more games, but Michael Jordan has a higher win %.

The best way to evaluate these two careers could be to look at and contrast their awards and accomplishments. Lebron James only has four championships, whereas Michael Jordan has six. LeBron has four final MVPs to Jordan’s six. Lebron just has one scoring title compared to MJ’s ten. While LeBron has four MVPs, Michael Jordan has five. In addition, only Michael Jordan out of the two has won Defensive Player of the Year (winning it in 1988).

Although LeBron James outperforms Michael  in most statistical categories, Lebron James has the advantage of having played in the NBA for four additional seasons. When comparing their career averages, Michael Jordan averages 3 more points, 1 more steal, but also 1 fewer assist, 2 fewer rebounds, and the same number of blocks per game. Although they have nearly equal career averages, LeBron James has 4 more seasons of experience. Despite this, Michael Jordan is still competitive and outperforms James in some areas.

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