So yet another NBA season has finished, and here we are talking about the same thing we’ve been talking about for the last five or six years.
Is LeBron James the cream of the crop, the numero uno, or is he simply a cream puff, a product made from the hype machine that is modern day entitlement and hysteria?
One thing is for certain, and that is LeBron James will go down in history as one of the greatest basketball players to ever live. But can we please, for the love of sanity, start reading statistics (some people call it ‘research’) before branding James as the ‘Greatest of All Time’?
James, Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan etc etc. The NBA has had some absolute superstars across all eras, with some being the better at certain attributes than others. But how do we go about narrowing down the greatest?
One way to not go about it is with your heart, because you will inevitably meet someone that will destroy your case with cold, hard, facts, or simple statistics, for ease of understanding.
Whenever the GOAT basketball player argument is raised, there are only two players mentioned, that being LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
As a youngster in the 90s, I was a mad-keen basketball card collector, and the one card I took most pride in owning were that of the great, Michael Jordan. Even as a child, I was more than aware of Jordan’s trials and tribulations growing up, and what made him the player he was.
So, whenever LeBron James’s name gets brought up in the same sentence as Jordan, or even mentioned as the GOAT, I do my due diligence, and research the statistics.
I don’t think of the cool name. I don’t look at the cool head bands. I don’t look at the materialistic garbage that plays a part in making LeBron James the superstar he is. I look at the statistics.
Statistics show a lot of things. But most importantly, as I have previously mentioned, they show cold, hard, facts. The fact of the matter is that LeBron James simply doesn’t stack up to Michael Jordan in most relevant statistics to the argument.
Michael Jordan (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
People talk about LeBron’s scoring prowess (27.2 pg), but Jordan was better (30.1 pg). Jordan even played some seasons at 38-40 years old, and he still averages more points per game.
People talk about LeBron being a better all-round basketballer, but once again, Jordan was better. LeBron won the NBA Point Scoring Championship once, Jordan did it ten times. James made the NBA All-Defensive First Team five times, Jordan did it nine.
People talk about LeBron being the most dominate finals performer with his three NBA Finals MVPs. But yet again, Jordan was better. He had six.
Even playing in teams that were built around him, LeBron lacks the statistics that matter.
Now let’s talk about leadership shall we…
LeBron has led the Heat and Cavaliers to a total of three titles. Jordan led the Bulls to six.
LeBron has won three NBA Finals MVP awards. Again, Jordan won six.
LeBron has won four NBA Most Valuable Player awards. Jordan won five!
LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Remember that a champion team is always better than a team of champions, yet even though Jordan was in what would certainly be classed as the former type of team here compared to LeBron. He was still the statistically better player.
In fact, LeBron only beats Jordan in a single noteworthy statistic, that being that he made the All-NBA First Team twelve times to Jordan’s ten.
Gone are the days where players were rated on just raw statistics and leadership skills. Gone are the days where it was more important to be valuable to your team, rather than tickling your own ego or pushing a political agenda.
We have turned into such a selfish, ignorant, materialistic society, that looking at the statistics of players from times gone by isn’t even thought of.
A society where the earrings and headbands you wear, the presidents you bag, and the catch phrases given to you by commentary teams are just as important to cementing your legacy as your god given ability.
Now calm down, please just relax. I know there will be people reading this that are getting a little upset.
I still think LeBron is worthy of most of the praise that is thrown at him. But for now, and very likely forever after this, LeBron James will have to settle for second (statistically speaking anyway) or even third behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the Greatest of all Time.
And just remember for when this same argument comes up again next year… Look up the statistics, because statistics don’t lie.
Ryan OConnell
Guest
I was in a hurry!
Mushi
Guest
Ryan I'm disappointed by this response, you could have achieved much more with your knowledge of the game.
Mushi
Guest
Perhaps because there is evidence of you not being able to count to three.
Ryan O'Connell
Expert
LeBron fails to lift players to a different level? That's absolute BS. Tristan Thompson and Matthew Dellavedova got PAID because of LeBron. He's added at least two years to the walking corpse that is Kyle Korver's one-dimensional game. He somehow got Jeff Green to be productive enough to help eliminate Boston from the playoffs. Ask Mike Miller, Mario Chalmers, Channing Frye, Eddie House, Mo Williams, etc, how much better he made them look.
Ben
Roar Guru
While Lebron is getting all of these statistics he gets (because as an individual he is a superstar) he fails to lift the players around him to a different level. Your argument here is a classic straw man argument. Perhaps Scott Pippen was a very good leader himself. Did he lead the Bulls to any championships? If he didn't, he wasn't as good a leader as MJ, perhaps he was on par with Lebron...
Jason Andrews
Roar Pro
and why is that Mushi?
Mushi
Guest
Fewer stupid articles must be the reason. We must remain vigilant
xomi
Guest
You said in one of the final paragraphs "Gone are the days where it was more important to be valuable to your team" and insinuated that Jordan was more valuable to his team than Lebron ever was. This is just straight up incorrect. The year after Jordan retired for the first time, the Chicago Bulls won 55 GAMES! 55! And got to the Eastern Conference Semis (which Jordan himself struggled to do a couple times in his early career) due to great leadership from Scottie Pippen. There is simply no team Lebron has EVER been on that would win 55 games without him (even Miami in which they would get slightly above 55 games a year WITH Lebron), so saying that Lebron is less valuable to his teams is one of the most weak points you could have possibly made in your article. Do better tomorrow.
Ryan O'Connell
Expert
An old school Mushi take-down. I've missed these.
mushi
Roar Guru
It figures that Mr Andrews finds this “statistical analysis” compelling
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
I don't think the "never played in a losing grand final team" thing really matters as much as some people try to suggest. Lebron has played in otherwise poor teams where he's managed to drag them all the way to the finals only to meet up with really stacked teams like the Warriors. Sorry, but MJ or Magic wouldn't have been able to carry that Cav's team to the title over the Warriors team either. The difference for MJ especially was his biggest challenge was in the same conference, so once he was able to get into the finals it was because they finally managed to build a championship team that could win the finals. So I would definitely put MJ ahead of Lebron. But I think saying "way better" is probably a stretch. But outside just the pure on-court abilities, there was something about MJ that just transcended the game and puts him in a different stratosphere.
Jason Andrews
Roar Pro
Hi Ben, great article. Lebron is the best of his generation but is far from being the GOAT. MJ and Magic were way better, plus did they ever play in a losing grand final team? Micheal Jordan is a forever will be the GOAT in baskbetball
astro
Guest
Thanks for revealing the truth behind this article with that comment, Ben... So, you clearly hate Lebron. Why not then just write an article about how you hate Lebron and his "cool name" or headband or his stance against Trump? Why even try to use "stats" or bring Jordan into this, when you clearly have no clue what you're talking about, and no ability to defend your position without being offensive? Is it because on some level you know that your hatred of Lebron is completely irrational?
astro
Guest
TAKE THAT FOR DATA!
mushi
Roar Guru
Fair point, it will be a "hook" for a line of argument.
mushi
Roar Guru
Like you I have Jordan - but this is a really bad article that really can only serve as a lightning rod for Pro Lebron
astro
Guest
That's true and the Kareem point is a good one. But I think the totality of Lebron's achievements once he's done, will make the argument for him being the GOAT more compelling...not more accurate or true, just a better/more compelling narrative. Especially if he breaks new ground in terms of scoring, assists, rebounds etc
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Actually, he didn't. He showed that there are stats where Russell is well ahead of Jordan, including some that you are using to put Jordan ahead of Lebron (see number of championships) yet nobody would argue Russell was the greatest of all time and greater than Jordan. I am a Jordan fan, I grew up watching him, but I actually think that such things, and the way he just transcended the game the way nobody else ever has, causes bias for Jordan and makes us less objective. Jordan was more a pure scorer. He was a great defensive player too, but he was pretty much a pure shooting guard. Lebron is someone who can physically play pretty much any position on court, he regularly runs the point, but can physically post up against just about anyone in the game. He scores less points per game overall, but has more rebounds and assists, and scores a lot more triple doubles than Jordan. He regularly comes out of games having lead just about every statistical category, not just scoring. So while I would find it hard to go past Jordan on the GOAT argument, Lebron certainly has to be in the conversation.
mushi
Roar Guru
This article is the kind of dross that makes people distrust stats
mushi
Roar Guru
Did you look at assits per game?