Who Is The Greatest Of All Time?

Who do you think is the greatest basketball player of all time? Some say, Bill Russel, some say, Magic Johnson, some say Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, and Wilt Chamberlain. Most avid basketball fans think it boils down to LeBron James or Michael Jordan. This has been the GOAT debate for well over a decade now. The fans who think LeBron idolizes his elite playmaking, his ability to make a shot from anywhere on the court, and most famously his famous moves to the basket with a thundering dunk at the basket. Fans who believe it is Jordan praises his elite midrange and fade-away game, his electrifying dunks, and most of all his extreme competitiveness and his need to win at everything he does. Anything from his nightly gambling to the NBA finals. These players are praised for their individual and team achievements, but who is truly the greatest player of all time?

I  believe that without a doubt it is Michael Jordan. Let’s compare Michael Jordan’s accomplishments to LeBron James. Jordan averaged 3 points more than LeBron during the regular season throughout his career, and in the playoffs, Jordan averaged 4.6 points more than LeBron. Jordan has five MVPs compared to LeBron’s four. Jordan was also a much better defensive player compared to LeBron. Jordan has a total of 9 All-Defensive Team Selections compared to LeBron’s 6. Jordan also averaged more steals than LeBron with 1.8 playing well playing 5 fewer seasons. The most favorable stat to support Jordan is his willingness to win. Jordan has won 6 championships during his 6 finals appearances and won finals MVP 6 times as well. LeBron has won 4 championships in 10 finals appearances winning 4 finals MVPs. Jordan looks like a clear winner in these categories, but let’s take a look at LeBron’s stats as well.

LeBron may have averaged fewer points, but he averaged more rebounds and assists. LeBron averaged 7.4 rebounds compared to Jordan’s 6.2. LeBron also averaged 7.4 assists per game compared to Jordan’s 5.3. LeBron also had a higher true shooting percentage. True shooting percentage according to wolframcloud.com ¨measures a player’s efficiency at shooting the ball. True shooting percentage equals half the points scored divided by the sum of the field goals attempted and 0.475 times the free throws attempted” LeBron’s true shooting was 58.6 compared to Jordan’s 56.9. Then there is possibly the best stat pointing towards LeBron, his all-time points. LeBron has a crazy 38,652 points throughout his entire career which is number one all-time. He hopes to add more as he approaches his 21st season. Jordan has a respectable 32,292 points which is 4th all-time. Well this seems like a lot of stats showing LeBron is better it fails to account for the fact that Jordan did most of his achievements on his own. LeBron has moved from superteam to superteam which is how he won all his championships. He won two with the Heat which featured Dwayne Wade and Chris Both two Hall of Fame Players. He then moved on to go back to the team that drafted him, the Cavaliers. Most people don’t see that as a super team, but they fail to account for the fact that he had a future Hall of Famer in Kyrie Irving and a great forward in Kevin Love. After LeBron won this championship he then moved on to the Lakers where he again created another superteam with Anthony Davis which gave him his fourth championship.

LeBron vs. Jordan has been the GOAT debate for many years and will most likely continue to be even after LeBron has long retired. LeBron’s most convincing stat is his points scored. He is number one all-time compared to Jordan at fourth place. LeBron did play 5 more seasons than Jordan which is most likely the reason why he has the most points of all time. According to the stats Jordan had a much better career and impact on the game. Jordan scored more, Jordan won more, and Jordan played better defense. These are the most important aspects of being a great basketball player and I hope you see why Jordan is the better player.