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.

JordanPer GameLeBron
30.1Points27.2
6.2Rebounds7.5
5.3Assists7.3
2.3Steals1.5
0.8Blocks0.8
2.7Turnovers3.5
38.3Minutes38.1
49.7Field goal %50.5
32.73-point %34.4
83.5Free throw %73.5
JordanTotalsLeBron
1,072Games1,408
32,292Points38,325
6,672Rebounds10,567
5,633Assists10,345
2,514Steals2,176
893Blocks1,065
2,924Turnovers4,920
41,011Minutes53,668

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.)

JordanAdvancedLeBron
27.9Player Efficiency Rating27.3
116.1Value Over Replacement145.9
9.2Box Plus/Minus8.8
214.0Win Shares254.3
56.9True Shooting %58.8
33.3Usage %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.

JordanPer GameLeBron
33.4Points28.7
6.4Rebounds9.0
5.7Assists7.2
2.1Steals1.7
0.9Blocks0.9
3.1Turnovers3.7
41.8Minutes41.5
48.7Field goal %49.5
33.23-point %33.7
82.8Free throw %74.0
JordanTotalsLeBron
179Games266
5,987Points7,631
1,152Rebounds2,391
1,022Assists1,919
376Steals454
158Blocks252
546Turnovers975
7,474Minutes11,035

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.

JordanAdvancedLeBron
28.6Player Efficiency Rating28.2
24.7Value Over Replacement33.9
11.1Box Plus/Minus10.2
39.8Win Shares55.7
56.8True Shooting %58.3
35.6Usage %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.

JordanAccoladesLeBron
6Championships4
5MVPs4
6Finals MVPs4
11All-NBA18
9All-Defense6
14All-Star19
10Scoring titles1

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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