To call someone the Greatest of All-time in a professional sport is really a huge statement. However, every once in a while a supernatural-like talent will come around and make it hard to not make such a statement. Both Michael Jordan and LeBron James have had amazing careers while playing in the NBA. What many fans tend to lean towards for the sake of comparison is strength in numbers. Although Lebron may be now catching up to some of Jordan's records, people forget that Jordan did it in less time.
MJ -- 'The Greatest'
Michael Jordan entered the NBA as the number three overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft to the Chicago Bulls.
Prior to that, Jordan had a successful three-year college career at the University of North Carolina. It didn't take long for MJ to make a huge impact on the league. Players that fans thought were the greatest of all-time like Larry Bird, did not hesitate to publicly endorse Jordan as the best basketball player he had ever seen.
Jordan averaged over 30 points a game in his career for eight seasons. He also retired for the entire 93-94 NBA season and more than half of the 94-95 season to play professional baseball in the MLB. When Jordan played full seasons, he was able to win six consecutive NBA championships before retiring again in 1998. Minus his rookie season, MJ averaged over 30 points a game every year he played in the playoffs.
Some prestigious awards he garnered during his career included winning the NBA Finals MVP in all six appearances, 5 NBA league MVP awards, and a Defensive Player of the Year award as well.
Outside of the NBA, MJ is a very successful business icon. His own signature Jordan shoe brand has been arguably the highest-selling sneaker since he arrived in the NBA.
He's also the only NBA player to attain billionaire status for his outstanding business ventures and endorsement deals.
LeBron James -- 'The King'
Lebron skipped out on attending college and entered the NBA Draft fresh out of high school. James went on to be selected as the number one overall pick by his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
As great of a career as Lebron has had, he struggled in his first seven seasons to up his level of play in the playoffs to win a championship. He was often criticized for passing the ball in key moments of a game when superstars like himself were expected to be clutch. However, LJ did not have a player like Scottie Pippen playing by his side either. James decided to join Dwayne Wade in Miami which led to the beginning of the "King James" that fans have come to know.
Despite rejoining the Cavs after winning two NBA titles with the Heat, Lebron has continued to carry that same mentality that finally brought a title to his hometown team. To put the stamp on how much Lebron has grown, he has surpassed Michael Jordan for most points scored in playoffs history, and he is set to appear in the NBA Finals for the seventh consecutive season.
So why is Jordan better?
As great as Lebron James has been, the numbers and playoff shining moments just don't add up to Jordan's. Michael Jordan never lost an NBA Finals appearance. When it came time for Mike to carry the team to victory, he rarely relied on other teammates to take the game-winning shot. Lebron, on the other hand, spent most of his playoff moments not seizing the moment.
Despite winning three NBA titles so far, Lebron has also lost four times in the NBA Finals due to the fact that he struggles at times to turn on the assassin mentality needed to win. Also, is it safe to skip past the fact Kobe Bryant was the best player in the NBA for the majority of Lebron's career? When Jordan played, there was no one better than him -- period.
