King James Gospel
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23 Reasons Why LeBron James Is Better Than Michael Jordan

By Sam Beech

June 19, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) leaves the media press conference following the 93-89 victory against the Golden State Warriors in game seven of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
June 19, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) leaves the media press conference following the 93-89 victory against the Golden State Warriors in game seven of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 19, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) and guard Kyrie Irving (2) celebrate during the second quarter in game two of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
May 19, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) and guard Kyrie Irving (2) celebrate during the second quarter in game two of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

Playoffs

  1. Playoff wins

In his most recent championship run, James passed Jordan in playoff wins. While Jordan has a slightly higher win percentage in playoff games (roughly 66% to 65%), this stat is a testament to how successful James has been in the postseason.

LeBron 131, Jordan 119

Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers /

Cleveland Cavaliers

  1. Playoff win shares

This statistic is an estimate of the amount of wins that a player is individually responsible for. As was the case in a few of the other stats we have looked at, James and Jordan are the top-two in that category all-time. Again though, James has the edge, being the only player in NBA history with at least 40 playoff win shares.

LeBron 41.2, Jordan 39.8

  1. Finals appearances

For people that argue Jordan is the greatest player ever, “Six-for-six” is usually their main argument. That is, Jordan is a perfect 6-0 in Finals series in his career. As impressive as it is, one can argue that James had tougher competition in his Finals appearances, and also had worse teams. The fact that James has been to many NBA Finals, with perhaps several more, is mind-boggling. Even more impressive is the fact that James has been to six consecutive Finals (and counting); Jordan never made to more than three in a row.

LeBron 7, Jordan 6

  1. First-round playoff losses

Jordan was unblemished in the NBA Finals, but he did not get out of the first round of the playoffs until his fourth tri. James is an astonishing 10-0 in the first round all-time.

LeBron 0, Jordan 3

  1. Playoff rebounding

James’s edge in rebounding over Jordan is more significant in the playoffs than it is in the regular season, showing how James elevates his aggression level when more is on the line.

LeBron 8.8, Jordan 6.4