Settling the LeBron James versus Michael Jordan debate

LeBron’s GOAT case

The picture above this text is the famous block in the 2016 NBA Finals. This NBA Finals moment was arguably the greatest moment of LeBron’s career, saving his Cleveland Cavaliers from losing the NBA Finals. He led his squad from down 3-1 to winning three games straight, winning the Larry O’Brien trophy. To me, and to some of my friends, this is the most impressive NBA championship of all time.

Let’s consider a few things. The Warriors went 73-9 in the regular season, the best record of all time. They had the unanimous MVP in Stephen Curry. The Warriors had three All-Stars in Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson. Golden State also had one of the league’s best coaches of all time in Steve Kerr, and everything looked like the Warriors would win it all. However, LeBron and his team overcame all odds, and was able to bring a title home to Cleveland.

Also, one of the main reasons LeBron fans say he’s the GOAT is his longevity. LeBron has been playing since 2003, and is still playing like a top 5 NBA player right now. Statistically, LeBron is having a better season than his 2012-13 MVP season, posting better points, assists, and rebounds per game.

Personally, I think LeBron could seriously play until he is 43 years old, maybe even older. Considering he is still one of the NBA’s best players at 38 years old, what’s to say he won’t pull a Tom Brady and play till he’s 45?

Also, LeBron has been one of the NBA’s brightest stars, even while the NBA’s focus has shifted towards 3-point shooting. His interior presence when it comes to scoring is still elite, taking a lot of his shots within a few feet of the rim. Also, at the time of writing this article, Mr. James just passed the all-time scoring mark.

Now, let’s look at the sides against James. The 2011 Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat in 6 games in the NBA Finals, even though the Heat had on paper, 3 out of the 4 best players in the series. Also, he’s lost a good amount of NBA Finals, 6 to be exact. And besides the one championship season for the Lakers, his team has been underachieving.

With all of that said, I will give my take.

The Verdict: LeBron is the GOAT

Personally, I do think LeBron is the better player all-time, I will not lie. His longevity is really the main reason I give him the edge here, but looking at his teams, wherever he goes, he makes the team substantially better. Also, when he leaves a team in free agency, which he has done three times, the team he leaves becomes drastically worse.

I’m not saying Jordan isn’t good, that’s not true. He’s 2nd in the GOAT race, but LeBron is just better, at least to me.