For as much as I'd like to do so, it's incredibly difficult to come up with any kind of rational argument that Michael Jordan wasn't the greatest player in the history of the NBA. The player which generates the most comparisons is LeBron James. Where James comes up short in the minds of most analysts is his Finals record. While Jordan was a perfect 6-0 in the NBA Finals, James is only 3-6. If we stand back and look at the bigger picture, however, what does James's Finals record truly say about him and is there a legitimate argument to be made that he is Jordan's equal or even superior to the former Chicago Bulls legend?
While I don't like playing the what-ifs hypothetical card, I do think it's important to look at the full context of situations. In Michael Jordan's six trips to the NBA Finals, his teams were favored to win each and every one. So, in the eyes of oddsmakers, his teams equaled their expectations. In LeBron James's nine trips to the Finals, just two of his teams were favored to win the trophy. Given the fact he's led three teams to championships, this means he and his clubs actually exceeded expectations by a title.
There's long been debate about how we measure the greatness of a player in a season. Do we just look at stats and the eye-test in order to decide who the best player is, can a player's true value only be measured by victories, or is it a combination of the two? If we take the award Most VALUABLE Player literally, the Jordan-James comparison may surprise some people.
Michael Jordan played with the Chicago Bulls from the '84-'85 season through the '92-'93 season and then again from the '95-'96 season through the '97-'98 season. In those 12 seasons, the Bulls combined to go 648-336 (.659). They made the playoffs all 12 years, advanced to the finals in 6 of those 12 seasons, and won 6 titles. In the two seasons between those two runs, with Jordan trying his hand(s) at baseball, the Bulls combined to go 102-62 (.622). They made the playoffs both years, but failed to advance to the Finals in either of the two seasons.
In LeBron James's two stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers ('03-'04 through '09-'10 and '14-'15 through '17-'18), the team has gone a combined 560-342 (.621). They've made the playoffs in 9 of 10 seasons, advanced to the Finals in 5 of 10 seasons, and won one title. In the four years James was stationed in Miami, the Cavs went a combined 97-215 (.311), failing to advance to the postseason in any of the seasons.
Let's break down those numbers even further:
The Bulls with Jordan: .659
The Bulls without Jordan: .622
Difference: -.037
The Cavaliers with James: .621
The Cavaliers without James: .311
Difference: -.310
When it comes to stats, as both players have 15 seasons under their belts, it's interesting to compare and contrast the two. Overall, the players are fairly even on that front, as the numbers below should dictate:
Field Goal Percentage
James: .504/Jordan: .497 (James: +.007)
3-Point Field Goal Percentage
James: .344/Jordan: .327 (James: +.017)
Free Throw Percentage
James: .739/Jordan: .835 (Jordan: +.096)
Points Per Game
James: 27.2/Jordan: 30.1 (Jordan: +2.9)
Rebounds Per Game
James: 7.4/Jordan: 6.2 (James: +1.2)
Assists Per Game
James: 7.2/Jordan: 5.3 (James: +1.9)
Steals Per Game
James: 1.6/Jordan: 2.3 (Jordan: +0.7)
Blocks Per Game
James: 0.8/Jordan: 0.8 (Even)
Turnovers Per Game
James: 3.5/Jordan: 2.7 (Jordan: -0.8)
Personal Fouls Per Game
James: 1.8/Jordan: 2.6 (James: -0.8)
James leads in five of the categories, Jordan in four, and the two are even in another. The per game averages are separated by a combined 0.5 and the percentage averages are separated by a combined .072, both in favor of Jordan.
So, at the end of the day, how do we decide who the greater of the two is? To this point, LeBron James has exceeded title expectations, while Michael Jordan has simply met his. James has been far more valuable to his teams' success than Jordan. On the other hand, Jordan has the slight upper-hand statistically and currently doubles James's championship total. At this point, while it's still difficult to make a rational argument that Michael Jordan isn't the greatest player in NBA history, LeBron James is definitely the most valuable, and if there is any legitimate argument to be made about a player being greater than Jordan, it's regarding LeBron James.
https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/
https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jamesle01.html
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jordami01.html
While I don't like playing the what-ifs hypothetical card, I do think it's important to look at the full context of situations. In Michael Jordan's six trips to the NBA Finals, his teams were favored to win each and every one. So, in the eyes of oddsmakers, his teams equaled their expectations. In LeBron James's nine trips to the Finals, just two of his teams were favored to win the trophy. Given the fact he's led three teams to championships, this means he and his clubs actually exceeded expectations by a title.
There's long been debate about how we measure the greatness of a player in a season. Do we just look at stats and the eye-test in order to decide who the best player is, can a player's true value only be measured by victories, or is it a combination of the two? If we take the award Most VALUABLE Player literally, the Jordan-James comparison may surprise some people.
Michael Jordan played with the Chicago Bulls from the '84-'85 season through the '92-'93 season and then again from the '95-'96 season through the '97-'98 season. In those 12 seasons, the Bulls combined to go 648-336 (.659). They made the playoffs all 12 years, advanced to the finals in 6 of those 12 seasons, and won 6 titles. In the two seasons between those two runs, with Jordan trying his hand(s) at baseball, the Bulls combined to go 102-62 (.622). They made the playoffs both years, but failed to advance to the Finals in either of the two seasons.
In LeBron James's two stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers ('03-'04 through '09-'10 and '14-'15 through '17-'18), the team has gone a combined 560-342 (.621). They've made the playoffs in 9 of 10 seasons, advanced to the Finals in 5 of 10 seasons, and won one title. In the four years James was stationed in Miami, the Cavs went a combined 97-215 (.311), failing to advance to the postseason in any of the seasons.
Let's break down those numbers even further:
The Bulls with Jordan: .659
The Bulls without Jordan: .622
Difference: -.037
The Cavaliers with James: .621
The Cavaliers without James: .311
Difference: -.310
When it comes to stats, as both players have 15 seasons under their belts, it's interesting to compare and contrast the two. Overall, the players are fairly even on that front, as the numbers below should dictate:
Field Goal Percentage
James: .504/Jordan: .497 (James: +.007)
3-Point Field Goal Percentage
James: .344/Jordan: .327 (James: +.017)
Free Throw Percentage
James: .739/Jordan: .835 (Jordan: +.096)
Points Per Game
James: 27.2/Jordan: 30.1 (Jordan: +2.9)
Rebounds Per Game
James: 7.4/Jordan: 6.2 (James: +1.2)
Assists Per Game
James: 7.2/Jordan: 5.3 (James: +1.9)
Steals Per Game
James: 1.6/Jordan: 2.3 (Jordan: +0.7)
Blocks Per Game
James: 0.8/Jordan: 0.8 (Even)
Turnovers Per Game
James: 3.5/Jordan: 2.7 (Jordan: -0.8)
Personal Fouls Per Game
James: 1.8/Jordan: 2.6 (James: -0.8)
James leads in five of the categories, Jordan in four, and the two are even in another. The per game averages are separated by a combined 0.5 and the percentage averages are separated by a combined .072, both in favor of Jordan.
So, at the end of the day, how do we decide who the greater of the two is? To this point, LeBron James has exceeded title expectations, while Michael Jordan has simply met his. James has been far more valuable to his teams' success than Jordan. On the other hand, Jordan has the slight upper-hand statistically and currently doubles James's championship total. At this point, while it's still difficult to make a rational argument that Michael Jordan isn't the greatest player in NBA history, LeBron James is definitely the most valuable, and if there is any legitimate argument to be made about a player being greater than Jordan, it's regarding LeBron James.
https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/
https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jamesle01.html
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jordami01.html
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