Has LeBron James surpassed Michael Jordan as the greatest player of all-time?
LeBron James is the most complete player in NBA history and despite Michael Jordan’s mythical status, its what’s led to him being a superior player than the man many believe is the greatest player of all-time.
Scottie Pippen got me thinking.
Pippen appeared on ESPN’s “First Take”, co-anchored by Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman, on Thursday.
When asked by mediator Molly Qerim where he stands on the “LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan” debate, said James has “probably” surpassed Jordan – from a statistical standpoint.
At these words, the set exploded with incredulity.
How could Pippen possibly think that James — who has a below .500 record in the NBA Finals — have surpassed a player who led his team to an undefeated record in the NBA Finals? Never mind that he’s the one who was Jordan’s teammate for those six championships and, as both Smith and Kellerman alluded to, a major key to the success of Jordan’s Bulls.
Nostalgia is blinding and so it’s easy for middle-aged NBA fans to fail and accept that the Bulls were the Golden State Warriors of the 1990s – the most talented, and likely deepest, team on the floor night-in and night-out. In addition, while NBA players know winning championships is predicated on more than the abilities of one person the concept seems to elude a fair amount of fans.
Winning a ring is the ultimate accomplishment in the league but it’s not the primordial indicator of individual ability.
No single number is.
Statistically, a holistic examination should involve looking at the accolades a player has earned in addition to his traditional and advanced metrics.
James is the most complete player to play in the NBA and its illustrated by his statistical dominance. Through fifteen seasons in the Association, the “kid from Akron” even has better numbers than Jordan.
Let’s start with a little background:
For new NBA fans, Jordan is the player commonly referred to as the greatest of all-time (code name “GOAT”).
The megastar shooting guard of the Chicago Bulls, Jordan led the Phil Jackson coached squad to a 6-0 record in the NBA Finals while amassing six NBA Finals MVP awards, five NBA MVP awards, three All-Star Game MVP awards (in the days before the All-Star exhibition game was more than a glorified scrimmage), fourteen All-Star selections, eleven All-NBA selections, ten scoring titles, nine All-Defensive team selections, Defensive Player of the Year honors (1987-1988) and Rookie of the Year honors (to go along with a spot on the All-Rookie team).
James is chasing Jordan’s ghost.
James, the current face of the NBA and the player who made positionless basketball popular, has a 3-5 record in the NBA Finals but has made it to the world’s biggest stage seven consecutive seasons despite changing teams twice and head coaches three times in that seven-year span. He’s also the only player to lead both teams in all statistical categories in the NBA Finals (2016) or to average a triple-double in a NBA Finals series (2017). James has three NBA Finals MVP awards, four NBA MVP awards, two All-Star Game MVP awards, thirteen All-Star selections (soon to be fourteen this season), thirteen All-NBA selections (soon to be fourteen), six All-Defensive team selections, one scoring title and Rookie of the Year honors (to go along with a spot on the All-Rookie team).
Jordan was selected with the third overall pick of the 1984 NBA Draft and came into the league as a 21-year-old NCAA champion and player of the year despite being a late-bloomer in terms of displaying elite skill. A tremendous competitor, excellent leaper, skilled scorer and deadly defender, Jordan was able to improve once he entered the league.
James was a basketball prodigy and high school phenom thanks to his insane athleticism, impressive physique, advanced IQ and incredible passing ability. He came into league at 19-years-old and was selected with the first pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. His evolution has been impressive to watch as he’s greatly enhanced his skill and IQ while retaining the raw power and otherwordly athleticism that made him dangerous in his youth.
Here is a look at their numbers after fifteen seasons, side-by-side:
| Player | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | eFG% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LeBron James | 38.9 | 9.9 | 19.6 | .503 | 1.4 | 4.1 | .344 | .539 | 6.1 | 8.2 | .740 | 1.2 | 7.3 | 7.1 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 3.4 | 1.9 | 27.2 |
| Michael Jordan* | 38.3 | 11.4 | 22.9 | .497 | 0.5 | 1.7 | .327 | .509 | 6.8 | 8.2 | .835 | 1.6 | 6.2 | 5.3 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 30.1 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/15/2017.
| Player | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS | ORtg | DRtg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LeBron James | 13.3 | 26.5 | .503 | 1.9 | 5.5 | .344 | 8.2 | 11.1 | .740 | 1.6 | 9.9 | 9.6 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 4.6 | 2.5 | 36.7 | 116 | 103 |
| Michael Jordan* | 15.3 | 30.7 | .497 | 0.7 | 2.2 | .327 | 9.2 | 11.0 | .835 | 2.1 | 8.3 | 7.0 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 40.4 | 118 | 103 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/15/2017.
| Player | PER | TS% | TRB% | AST% | STL% | BLK% | TOV% | USG% | OWS | DWS | WS | WS/48 | OBPM | DBPM | BPM | VORP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LeBron James | 27.7 | .586 | 11.0 | 35.3 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 12.9 | 31.5 | 149.1 | 62.7 | 211.8 | .240 | 7.3 | 1.9 | 9.2 | 119.6 |
| Michael Jordan* | 27.9 | .569 | 9.4 | 24.9 | 3.1 | 1.4 | 9.3 | 33.3 | 149.9 | 64.1 | 214.0 | .250 | 7.0 | 1.1 | 8.1 | 104.4 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/15/2017.
| Player | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | eFG% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LeBron James | 10.1 | 20.7 | .485 | 1.5 | 4.6 | .330 | .522 | 6.8 | 9.1 | .742 | 1.5 | 8.9 | 6.9 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 3.6 | 2.4 | 28.4 |
| Michael Jordan* | 12.2 | 25.1 | .487 | 0.8 | 2.5 | .332 | .503 | 8.2 | 9.9 | .828 | 1.7 | 6.4 | 5.7 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 33.4 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/15/2017.
| Player | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | eFG% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LeBron James | 10.1 | 20.7 | .485 | 1.5 | 4.6 | .330 | .522 | 6.8 | 9.1 | .742 | 1.5 | 8.9 | 6.9 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 3.6 | 2.4 | 28.4 |
| Michael Jordan* | 12.2 | 25.1 | .487 | 0.8 | 2.5 | .332 | .503 | 8.2 | 9.9 | .828 | 1.7 | 6.4 | 5.7 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 33.4 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/15/2017.
| Player | PER | TS% | TRB% | AST% | STL% | BLK% | TOV% | USG% | OWS | DWS | WS | WS/48 | OBPM | DBPM | BPM | VORP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LeBron James | 27.9 | .574 | 12.7 | 33.7 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 12.6 | 31.9 | 30.9 | 15.0 | 45.8 | .241 | 7.3 | 3.5 | 10.8 | 29.4 |
| Michael Jordan* | 28.6 | .568 | 9.3 | 28.2 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 9.4 | 35.6 | 27.3 | 12.4 | 39.8 | .255 | 8.3 | 1.8 | 10.1 | 22.8 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/15/2017.
Jordan was the more assertive scorer and a more intense perimeter defender, as indicated by his advantage in field goal attempts per game, points per game and steals but through fifteen seasons, James has been more efficient (while shooting twice as many threes per game), a better rebounder, a better passer and still been an elite scorer and defender.
It’s close but it’s evident that James was more well-rounded and impactful — the latter descriptive may draw the ire of some but James’ ability to impact so many facets of the game from any position on the floor really should speak for itself. Then when you look at their Value Over Replacement Players (VORP) in both the regular season and playoffs, the numbers support that assertion.
The debate is complicated because of Jordan’s success as a closer. Yet, the stats lean towards James in that debate and it’s been the case since 2015. Here’s a 2015 article from SBNation’s Yaron Weitzman that shows that the King has been more clutch than His Airness for a couple of seasons now.
Jordan’s statistical superiority meets its match head-to-head against James and as a result, the debate often circles back to their NBA Finals record and particularly to James’ performance in the 2011 NBA Finals as he put up pedestrian scoring numbers (17.8 points per game, third-highest on the team) and failed to be assertive throughout the series. In that series, James tried to play Pippen to Dwyane Wade’s Jordan.
It didn’t work and James never was outscored by a teammate in the NBA Finals since. He’s went 3-3 in the Finals since that disappointing performance and none of those three Finals losses can be attributed to his performance. Without the 2011 NBA Finals to look back on, proving that James is at least Jordan’s equal wouldn’t be so difficult.
Jordan is certainly the more accomplished player and possesses a scorer’s mentality. James, as illustrated by the statistics and his unique versatility, is a more complete player.
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