The age-old question – who is really the best basketball player of all time? Many components go into the answer to this question. Depending on who you believe is better, you may use statistics, the day and age, or even complete bias. It can really depend on who you are and what you grew up on. If you were raised to believe that one is better than the other, you may be heavily biased in this goat debate. But I will try to keep my bias to a minimum and really just look at the facts on who is really the best basketball player of all time.
Statistics(Bold Font Shows The Better Statistic)
Jordan Average Per Game: 30.1 Points, 6.2 Rebounds, 5.3 Assists, 2.3 Steals, 0.8 Blocked Shots, 2.7 Turnovers, 38.3 Minutes, 49.7 FG%, 32.7 3-Point %, 83.5 FT%
LeBron’s Average Per Game: 27.2 Points, 7.5 Rebounds, 7.3 Assists, 1.5 Steals, 0.8 Blocked Shots, 3.5 Turnovers, 38.1 Minutes, 50.8 FG%, 34.4 3-Point %, 73.5 FT%
Based on the statistics, both Jordan and LeBron are good in their own areas. They both have 4 categories where they are better than one another. These statistics show that both Jordan and LeBron were good players in their own realm. While Jordan may score more points per game, LeBron rebounds more balls per game. Because the stats are more or less the same, I cannot really say who is better based on this. Depending on the criteria being used for this debate, you could argue both players are the best based on certain statistics. So I will say for now that they are both on the same level of greatness.
Day And Age
Jordan: Jordan played in a time where the strategy to win the game included mostly close-to-the-basket points and unfair play. He played in a time when many teams would use unfair strategies like using their elbows or bodies to injure the other players. At this time, referees weren’t as pinpoint and more foul calls were allowed throughout the game. A big part of the game was dunking and layups. Although it is still a big part of the game today, it wasn’t as important because of the new popularity of 3-pointers.
LeBron: LeBron plays in a time where the strategy to win the game includes both 3-pointers and more referee implementation. He currently plays in a day and age where most players use 3-pointers to get their points instead of being up close in the paint. LeBron also plays in an era of more severe referee calls, like fouls.
Based on the day and age of both Jordan and LeBron, I believe that Jordan was the more successful player. Before, referees didn’t call as many fouls. A lot of the strategies teams used, like the Pistons, included more physical contact whose purpose was to injure other players. Not only did Jordan have to deal with this but he also didn’t have crutches like 3-pointers. He had to endure all of these physical barriers and was still successful. To compare him to LeBron, it really isn’t a debate. In the game now, you see Lebron flopping around, trying to bait for foul calls. LeBron doesn’t really play through those physical barriers but is protected by the referees of this day and age. LeBron has the option to use the popular strategy of taking 3 pointers while in Jordan’s time, that wasn’t as widespread and popular.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/16/business/michael-jordan-last-dance-toxic-worker.html
Finals Stats
Jordan: 6 Championships, 6-0 Finals Record, 6 Finals MVPs, 1 DPOY, 10 Scoring Titles
LeBron: 4 Championships, 4-6 Finals Record, 4 Finals MVP, 0 DPOY, 1 Scoring Title
Overall in the finals, Jordan is a better player and finisher. He has won more championships and has won more accolades than LeBron. I think I would give this entire category to Jordan because based on the stats, he is just the better player.
Bias
Personally, I think Jordan is just a better player overall. Not only does he have the same if not better stats, but he played in an era that was much worse than what LeBron currently plays in. Granted, I am very biased because my father grew up on Jordan and raised me to be a Jordan fan. My father would always tell me about how amazing Jordan was and how he doesn’t compare to LeBron. I can say that after watching Jordan, his in-game feats are much greater because he was doing things that other people weren’t doing. LeBron isn’t dunking from the free throw line. Does LeBron have cool highlights, most definitely, but everyone can do what he does now. I can compare good players like Ja Morant and say he has better highlights than LeBron. The difference between the two is that Jordan was doing the unthinkable. He was reimagining the game with his amazing feats. He won six championships. He invented brand new moves. Jordan was so amazing to the point that other players ended up copying his moves to try and become the best. Although LeBron is good, he just isn’t doing what Jordan was doing. He isn’t as much of a game-changer, which is why I would consider Jordan the best basketball player of all time.
