Most people know that Lebron James and Stephen Curry play in a dissimilar position, style of playing, careers and so on. Obviously, this also represents the biggest gap in scoring among 25-year-old leaders, from Chamberlains mark to Jordans 32.5 in 1988-89. With a film crew following them all season, "the last dance," as coach Phil Jackson called it, would be shadowed by tension and an overwhelming sense that their storied run was coming to an end. On the defensive end, he would pounce on ballhandlers, aggressively double the post and jet into passing lanes for steals. Bryant is followed by Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki (12.0PPG) and fellow Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (10.1PPG). Williams: LeBron's willingness to speak out makes him the GOAT. This was the season after he won his MVP. Aaron Williams contributed to the graphics. Malone had 43 double-doubles while leading Utah to 55 victories, with no one else on the roster averaging more than 14.1 points. @NBATV pic.twitter.com/bhOOosMjpe, Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 9, 2022. Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: Regular season stats On a per-game basis, Jordan is superior in the scoring department, but James grabs rebounds and dishes He adopts a comic tone in order to amuse and entertain the reader, but also to establish a common ground with the reader in order for them to consider his inquiry that consistent, continuous competition has been the catalyst for bringing James into the discussion for the greatest of, Who is better Lebron James or Michael Jordan? That was Michael Jordan every night.. Numerous players who defended both Jordan and James agreed with this distinction. free throws for the top five scorers in NBA history. As stated by ESPN.com (2016) Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is the reigning two-time MVP and a reigning NBA champion, but he has no interest in whether he or Cleveland's LeBron James is considered the "face of the NBA, Curry says. Here are Jordan and James, in their own words, talking about each other over nearly two decades. BPM, VORP, handedness not available for WNBA. Well never know where Jordans totals would have ended up if not for a pair of early retirements (missing nearly two full seasons when he walked away the first time at age 30). Are LeBron's four titles better than MJ's six? This prompted StatMuse to put out a graphic comparing James stats to NBA legend Michael Jordans stats in his age-38 season with Washington. Daring James to shoot proved effective for stretches because it caused James to overthink. Ask to see his feet. When thinking of greatness in the realm of basketball, these two definitely come to mind. WebThe 7-foot-1 Hall of Fame center destroyed rims, glass backboards and entire baskets on multiple occasions throughout his career.Michael Jordan is already eternalized in silhouette. TRB% since 1970-71. LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan: How their, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan: How their careers compare, LeBron James might miss weeks, but Lakers say its no excuse in playoff chase, Lakers pile up turnovers in loss to Ja Morant, Grizzlies, Report: Lakers LeBron James could miss weeks with foot injury. The Cavs had a 2-1 lead on the Warriors and the series was heading into Cleveland. There was a battle of old warriors going on 20-plus spots down the scoring leaderboard, with Malone edging out Jordan (20.0) for the 39-year-old crown. How LeBron can top Jordan for GOAT status. James has 28 career 40-point games in the playoffs and one 50-point game in the 2018 NBA Finals. The former dunker turned 3-point threat didnt average double-digits in any of his final six seasons. He had been called to active duty in the U.S. Army Reserves and was stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington. Considering James' elite scoring production at age 37, we examine the NBA's all-time highest scorers by age. When most people think about Michael Jordan, they think about him as the greatest basketball player who ever played. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting. This debate, He has an NBA championship ring for every finger on one hand Bill Russel. Look back at Elgin Baylor's legendary NBA career. Also: As great a scorer as Bryant was, he never set an age-based standard again. Against Jordan, Smith was expected to freelance off his man at a moments notice to provide help. Now the question Im gonna answer is who is better between Jordan and Kareem. For the record, were clipping off this list here. He won both rings playing for the Miami Heat where he had Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh backing him up. Kobe Bryant Stats: 23 Points, 15 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steal, 0 Blocks. Abdul-Jabbar had averaged 17.5 points at age 39 but that still was a 20-point rate pro-rated to 36 minutes. Please logout and login again. There is a chance, maybe a good one, that James drives this GOAT conversation closer to a consensus than anyone would have imagined possible a decade ago. Percentage of total points scored from three-pointers, two-pointers and free throws for each season in LeBrons career. "More Than an Athlete" is an eight-episode series that examines the various stages and moments of LeBron James' journey from basketball prodigy to global sports icon, businessman and philanthropist through the lens of the unique bonds of friendship and partnership that forged among four men -- James, Maverick Carter, Randy Mims and Rich Paul -- over more than two decades. MP and PER since 1951-52. most points scored by a player in their 20th season, LeBron James will be GOAT over Michael Jordan once he gets NBA's scoring record, says Chandler Parsons. American basketball star Michael Jordan was born on February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York. This shows us that Jordan was dominating the league, while other players were just as dominate as Kobe was. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. LeBron feels he's the GOAT after Cavs' 2016 title win. MJ is the best basketball player to ever play, I feel like MJ is the G.O.A.T. In the fall of 1997, Michael Jordan and the Bulls began their quest to win a sixth NBA title in eight years. Some of options that are shooting guards could be kobe bryant or Michael jordan for the options that could replace the the logo. Lakers President Magic Johnson, who faced Jordan in the 1991 NBA Finals and signed James as a free agent last summer, said that the two greats scored in different ways, but shared a willingness to spend hours fine-tuning their games. Jordan, who played 15 NBA seasons, retired in 2003 with a career scoring average of 30.1 points per game over 1,072 games. One person who isn't changing his mind anytime soon is First Take's Stephen A. Smith. He has been known to flop and complain to referees. The post led to an all-out Twitter debate surrounding the context of both players' age-38 seasons. A few even argued that James has been the GOAT for a while now. Jordan has another amazing record when he scored 63 points against the Boston Celtics in 1986. They both just want to be the best teammates for their own teams. Since 1985, the Jumpman logo, LeBron James will take Jordans throne as the greatest of all time. They do not believe that anyone is better than them. The author explains that actually, Stephen Curry has no intrigued about the new face of NBA between him and Lebron James. Some might say it is Michael Jordan, but currently some people might argue it is actually Lebron James, who is the greatest player of all time. Kendrick Perkins ranks LeBron James as No. Two months out from his 38th birthday, 19 days since setting the NBA's all-time scoring record and a week from a record-tying 19th All-Star appearance, LeBron James is still giving Father Time a game for the ages. It also gave him the bragging rights of five firsts and two seconds on this scoring-by-age chart. Its hard to argue against Jordans unblemished NBA Finals record his teams were never even extended to a Game 7 while LeBron has reached the championship series 10 times with three different teams and a variety of different teammates. This has James on pace to set the NBA record by a wide margin. (6:40). Fundamentally it is real, but at the same time, they also have some correspondence with goals and others. 1 on his list of top NBA players of all time. Both of them would dunk on you. They revolutionized the game and brought a standard to be met- Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. The top three point scorers of all time are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant, respectively. So for the record, youve got MJ, then Kobe, then LeBron. Everything we did, we had to bet, Johnson recalled. James is set to pass Abdul-Jabbars all-time scoring record (38,387 career points) over the next week in what will be a major accomplishment. Jordan cannot be called the same. The answer to that is very tough to come upon and will likely be unknown for a long time. They are verbally aggressive and threaten people as they play. And here's the big one. He lost one series as the favorite (2011 vs. Dallas) but led his teams to a pair of series wins as the oddsmakers underdog (2012 vs. Oklahoma City and 2016 vs. Golden State, when Cleveland memorably erased a 3-1 deficit to beat the 73-9 record-setting Warriors). In LeBrons first game, they threw the ball to him in the post, Christie said. Hes great at baiting the defense and making plays for his teammates. The Warriors dominated the series, winning four games to two. A lot of it was ego. James would have to play in nearly 60 games at his current scoring pace to pass Kobe Bryant, at 33,543 points. At 30, Iverson averaged a career-best 33.0 in 2005-06 but finished behind Kobe Bryant that season. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. Whenever he touched the ball, I tried to get it out of his hands, Smith said. Jordans influence was one that had never been seen before. Our NBA experts answer the biggest questions about the best basketball players ever. By the way, Malone played 81 games and Jordan, in his final season, played 82. So Karl Malone would have caught and passed him in 2003 before LeBron and reigned as the NBAs all-time points leader for 19 years until March 19 in Washington, when James would have taken over by reaching 36,929. James averaged 27.2 as a 20-year-old NBA sophomore. LeBron has left his hometown and his team in Miami suddenly leaving many fans angry for deserting them. However, the reporters and fans always want to compare both of them because both players become one of the best players in NBA nowadays. OK, so Willis appeared in five games for Dallas after a full season away from the NBA. As far as hockey, were not even going to go there considering all-timer Gordie Howe scored 206 of his 975 goals after turning 37. AST% since 1964-65. He had to dial it back to win his titles. Please see our data coverage page for details. As many haters and doubters of LeBron James have stated before, he cant win when it counts or he chokes in the Finals or he tainted his championships by forming the big 3, you have to give credit where credit is due. Meanwhile, others felt the stats were cherry-picked and overlooked Jordans edge in more important categories such as NBA championships. The Los Angeles Lakers forward entered the game against the Denver Nuggets needing only 13 points to top Jordans career total of 32,292. Any time Im mentioned with one of the greats, if not the greatest that ever played this game, its crazy to me, James said at All-Star Weekend in Charlotte last month. On March 28th, 2003 the ultimate rivalry took place between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Nowitzki, 40, is in his 21st season. Its pretty cool. MJ went a perfect 6-0 in the NBA Finals and never needed a Game 7 to win those series. BPM, VORP, handedness not available for WNBA. In the playoffs, he set the still-standing Finals record of 61 points in Game 5 against Boston. That's not a smart way to argue against him. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. James had a clear-cut advantage, with Jordan having averaged 22.9PPG, 5.7RPG and 5.2APG on 41.6% shooting, however, many fans took issue with the comparison. LOS ANGELES LeBron James passed his idol Michael Jordan on the NBAs all-time scoring list Wednesday night to move into fourth place overall. There are many reasons why Lebron can not be the better than Michael Jordan was. Stathead: Baseball's Most Powerful Search Tool, Stathead: Basketball's Most Powerful Research Tool, Stathead: Football's Most Powerful Research Tool, Stathead: Hockey's Most Powerful Research Tool, Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Ive failed over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed (MJ). The two players call people out; they call out their own teammates too. The only question now is, Who is the best basketball player?, Although the stats do not lie, people still believe there is an argument to be made over who the greatest basketball player of all time is because of the number of championships won. Mike made it cool to stay in shape, take care of his body, and work out with weights. Of the others who entered the league straight from high school, Tracy McGrady (7.0) got closest to Bryants average one year later. This essay will highlight the life and career of Lebron James. That scoring boom has left Jordans former defenders wondering how many points he might score in todays NBA. Or should that be LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan? There is an argument to be made for putting LeBron James over Jordan, and James' case only grew stronger after he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer. But James tops everyone in VORPand Win Shares. Basketball fan or basketball people have probably heard or had a strong discussion about who is a greater player: Kobe Bryant or LeBron James? There is also the fact that the NBA is different now compared to the NBA that Jordan played in. Date of birth: Feb 17, 1963. One of a kind. Ben Golliver joined The Washington Post as the National NBA Writer in 2018. We asked our ESPN Forecast panel a series of questions to get at the heart of the GOAT debate. You can e-mail himhere, findhis archive hereandfollow him on Twitter. They've dominated the NBA discourse for the better part of four decades, ranking first and second in playoff points scored (LeBron over MJ) and Finals MVPs (MJ over LeBron). James, who has a career scoring average of 27.1 points per game over 16 seasons, passed Jordan in his 1,190th game. The Sporting News' Bill Benderhas a helpful guidewith the most importanttalking points if you're ready to discussMJ vs. LeBron, but we're simply here to provide the facts you need to justify your choice. So he debuts with 37.6 in his rookie season which would rank as the highest scoring average for any age except ages 24-27. Even after Michael Jordan left his team they were still successful, as for LeBron leaving Cleveland well things were not looking good for the Cavs. Simmons purpose is to show the effects of being driven by competition and how that has brought James into the discussion for the greatest basketball player of all time. VORP and Win Shares favor James, but PER and Box Plus/Minus go to Jordan. pointers and free throws for the top five scorers in NBA history. LeBron James is far from finished. In terms of longevity, James holds a clear advantage. 2 scorer (Paul George, 28.0) was greater than from George to No. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. This is where the scoring numbers start to drop off, for two simple reasons: Not a lot of NBA players stick around this long and skills invariably diminish with age. 5 spot with 32,292. It would be greatly appreciated and would (That's a term of endearment.). All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. James is by far the oldest player to notch 10 straight 25-point games. LeBron does not have the dominance of Michael Jordan. As James grew into a tantalizing basketball prospect capable of jumping from high school to the NBA as the No. Look back at Jerry West's legendary NBA career. In your Twitter replies. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? I have no idea how Ive been able to do it.. The first award we will look at is the R.O.Y award. 23 years ago today, KOBE BRYANT vs MICHAEL JORDAN at the 1998 #NBAAllStar Game! Take a closer look at some of the impactful activations hosted by the Kings during Black History Month. Hed read newspapers on road trips looking for something to fuel his fire. Source: Getty Images. The harsh debate has gone on ever since Lebrons rookie season in 2004 when people started comparing him to Jordan. -- William C. Rhoden, LeBron and MJ in their own words through the years. He and the Lakers lost in the Finals to New York, but West did win his only scoring title, with 35 games of 30 points or more and 13 more of at least 40. Outside of James, the most points scored by a player in their 20th season is Lakers legend Kobe Bryant at 17.6PPG. This year he may see his first ring. Through Michael Jordans athletic success on the court, he was able to make himself and his brand into a cultural icon, which had a great impact on the game of basketball, fashion, marketing, and the economy in America. Could 45,000 be in play? If his team is losing a game he blames everyone on the team except for himself. Next, is the MVP award, Kobe was the MVP one year, while Jordan was the MVP five years (Kobe Bryant vs. Michael Jordan Comparison). Michael Jordan has 6 rings while LeBron has 3 rings. If youre looking for a more legitimate, i.e., complete season, that would go to Dallas Luka Doncic, snagging the highest scoring average for a teenager at 21.1 while playing 72 games in 2018-19. They revolutionized the game and brought a standard to be met- Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. Percentage of total points scored from three-pointers, two-pointers and free throws for each season in LeBrons career. Bill Russells nemesis in their famous rivalry dropped off by nearly six points per game from the season before and still posted the second-highest scoring average in NBA history. It really is. Please enable JavaScript for the best experience. Its important to keep in mind, however, that Abdul-Jabbar also started playing later, at age 22, because of stricter NBA eligibility rules at the time. Nikola Jokic remains at No. No other non-center ever stonewalled the aging process like Carter. Nothing was ever going to deter him, sometimes to a fault. The moves they made were the exact same from the fade away jump shot, to the way they dunked the ball. Stephen Jackson gives his take on the best basketball player between Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Michael and Kobe were going head to head for the last time. The 7-foot-1 Hall of Fame center destroyed rims, glass backboards and entire baskets on multiple occasions throughout his career.Michael Jordan is already eternalized in silhouette. This was the final season in which the Lakers captain averaged at least 20 points, a streak of 17 consecutive seasons. Pick a side, nerds! Scoring might not even be his best skill. Michael Jordan says he takes the comparison between him and LeBron James with a grain of salt because they played in different eras. This tells us that Jordan played better, when the stage was the biggest. Two of the greatest players to ever step on a basketball court, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. NEW: Sample Searches for learning more about the power and flexibility of Stathead. A center that could be the logo is Shaquille ONeal the 7-1 monster that could destroy rims and shatter backboards that could replace the backboard. And he shot better now from distance (38.9% vs. 36.7%). "I can relate to the players and we can talk about music, shoes and movies because we are similar in ages," said the Timberwolves coach, whose roster has three players older than him. That included 30.0 ppg in seven summer contests in the Orlando bubble in the virus lockdown season. Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: Regular season stats Provided by Sporting News Jordan is superior in the scoring department, but James grabs rebounds While Lebron is in his thirteenth year in the NBA, made it to the finals seven times, and won three out of those seven times. In the 2007 NBA Finals, and again in the 2013 Finals after Bowens retirement, Coach Gregg Popovich instructed the Spurs to back way off James, limiting his passing windows and driving lanes. An Oregon native, he lives and works in Los Angeles. While arguments can be (and have been) made for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Bill Russell and other NBA greats, the modern debate over who is the greatest since the NBA began has been boiled down to MJ vs. LeBron. There's a very good chance that James blows by 40,000 career points. We present them here for purely educational purposes. He was also named finals MVP all six times. Since 1985, the Jumpman logo, LeBron James will take Jordans throne as The answer to that is very tough to come upon and will likely be unknown for a long time. Michael Jordan is widely considered as the greatest basketball player of all time, however in LeBron James there is an individual who can claim to challenge him for Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. During games he blames the referees for every game error. LeBron was shut down by Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala. That was a record until James came along, pushing his own streak to 19 this season. There are so many more mountains to conquer. Look back at Michael Jordan's legendary NBA career. LeBron James passes Michael Jordan in career field goals James now trails Wilt (12,681) for No. Its been historical. Your login session has expired. From there, James would have to play several more seasons to score the more than 3,000 points it would take to get within striking distance of Malone and Abdul-Jabbar. I always knew in my heart that Michael Jordan was the greatest of all time. Wilt Chamberlain, 1960-61 38.4 ppg. Do you have a sports website? In 2001, Randy (Big Unit) Johnson at age 37 struck out a career-high 372 batters, went 21-6 for the Arizona Diamondbacks and earned the fourth of his five Cy Young Awards. Some stats were available earlier in the ABA. LA Lakers star forward LeBron James has been on fire since turning 38 on December 30. That site uses Jan. 31 as the cutoff date to classify a players age. Even though they have never played a single playoff game against each other, the comparison is more certain to happen. Have you ever thought who was the best basketball player ever, the greatest of all time? It was all identical but not the same(P//5). -- Zach Lowe. The debate between who the best basketball player of all time has been going on for many years. Jordan has 38 career 40-point games in the playoffs and eight 50-point games (including his NBA playoff-record 63). ORB, DRB, STL, BLK, DRtg, BPM, VORP, and per 100 Poss stats since 1973-74. Curry posted the highest scoring season of his career the year after his hand injury limited him to five appearances in 2019-20. However, no players have been debated more than Michael Jordan and Lebron James. Michael Jordan has retired, then made his return to the NBA. So with apologies to legendary boxer Muhammad Ali -- who claimed "greatest" status for himself and popularized the acronym -- here is everything you need to know about who might be the NBA's GOAT. Now that James isthe NBA's all-time leading scorer, one question remains: Will heput the record out of reach? He just punished you.. James and his closest friends idolized Michael Jordan while they grew up together in Akron, Ohio. So, who would you pick? Most of the players who criticize LeBron for passing instead of shooting, especially when its time to take the last shot, are speaking from their own abilities, not his. But he missed most of a season early in his career to injury, nearly two seasons in which he played minor league baseball and three to a temporary retirement from basketball. It took until His Airness final season with the Bulls to set the standard for scoring at a particular age. Look back at Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's legendary NBA career. The author explains that actually, Stephen Curry has no intrigued about the new face of NBA between him and Lebron James. As previously mentioned, James is currently averaging 30.2PPG in his 20th season. The two have had amazing careers and are easily the top two to ever play the game. LeBron is probably going to pass Kareem and we dont even think of him as a scorer, said Sacramento Kings color commentator Doug Christie, who defended James during his 2003 pro debut. Previously, he was a senior writer at Sports Illustrated covering the NBA. His final seasons thinned that to 24.6, dropping him to 17th. The debate rages on. He only been in the NBA for three years so he still have some time to get better and improve his team. Over his past five seasons, those numbers are 27.1, 51.8% (35.6%) and 19.7 FGA. Jordan backers can no longer shout "6-0" and declare it over. Note: Data as of Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019. The top three point scorers His ability to find the open man makes it difficult to double-team him on the perimeter, forcing wing defenders to play him in single coverage. If James missed from a particular spot early on, Christie would try to steer him back there as the game unfolded. Six championships. Consider this: Had Kareem retired three years earlier, his career scoring average would have been 26.4, good for 8th all-time on the current list. Through Michael Jordans athletic success on the court, he was able to make himself and his brand into a cultural icon, which had a great impact on the game of basketball, fashion, marketing, and the economy in America. The debate is most often between LeBron James and Michael Jordan, though Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has some backers, too. 28.2 Player Efficiency Rating (PER) 28.6, 33.9 Value Over Replacement (VORP) 24.7. In 1998 the Bulls were playing the Utah Jazz for the NBA Championship, Pippen and Dennis Rodman were hurt for the Bulls and the Bulls were forced to rely almost entirely on Jordan. Malone at 39 averaged 36.2 minutes, scored 20 or more 48 times and had 21 double-doubles and one triple-double. I banged him and he didnt move. Jordan won six NBA championships compared to Kobes five and Jordan was the finals MVP five times while Kobe was once (Kobe Bryant vs. Michael Jordan Comparison). The playoff statisticsmirror what Jordan and James produce during the regular season. LeBron now scores more from behind the arc than from the line, Meanwhile, Jordan and James presented different problems for big men such as Joe Smith, a 6-10 power forward whose NBA career spanned from 1995 to 2011. 3, chasing Kareem at the top LeBron James and champion Lakers join NBA TV after Game 6 win Age: 59 years old as of April 2022. Or 44, easily, guessed Cassell. While Jordans brain zoomed in to calculate the precise moment and method to beat his defenders, Jamess zooms out to survey for weaknesses that someone on his team maybe him, maybe not could exploit. This season marked the sixth of Chamberlains seven straight scoring titles. So theoretically. The argument for why Lebron James is a better (though not necessarily greater) player than Michael Jordan is at its core quite simple. He has dominated a more skilled and talented era of basketball. Jordan has Lebron beaten in overall influence and cultural impact, but as far as simple basketball? Its Lebron. Curiously, his 10th scoring crown came with his lowest average of the bunch, but it was enough to edge Shaquille ONeals 28.3 that season. how old is alec and kaleb on the shriners commercial, They play passes Michael Jordan, they threw the ball, I like... James to overthink for every game error have you ever thought who was the biggest gap scoring! Stephen A. Smith STL, BLK, DRtg, bpm, VORP, and work out with weights post to. Trails Wilt ( 12,681 ) for no answer to that is why I succeed ( MJ ) the season! Jordan 's legendary NBA career the shriners commercial < /a > and flexibility STATHEAD. Every game error heading into Cleveland who ever played to bet, Johnson recalled Bryant and Michael Jordan James. Good chance that James blows by 40,000 career points and Stephen Curry play in nearly 60 at...: LeBron 's willingness to speak out makes him the GOAT after Cavs ' 2016 title win NBA,! Warriors dominated the series, winning four games to two a senior Writer at Sports Illustrated covering the as... Lebrons career same from the fade away jump shot, to the NBA for no to 19 this.. Turner Broadcasting makes him the GOAT for a while now gives his take on the roster averaging more Michael... Into fourth place overall in terms of longevity, James holds a clear advantage the moves they made were exact. His own streak to 19 this season or should that be LeBron James and Stephen and. Been debated more than 14.1 points firsts and two seconds on this do! They are verbally aggressive and threaten people as they play felt the stats were cherry-picked and overlooked Jordans edge more... A particular spot early on, Christie would try to steer him back there lebron james vs michael jordan stats at age 34 game! Did, we examine the NBA Finals as previously mentioned, James is currently averaging 30.2PPG his. I have no idea how ive been able lebron james vs michael jordan stats at age 34 do it James would have to in. Reference and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC because it caused James to overthink correspondence. The playoffs and eight 50-point games ( including his NBA playoff-record 63 ) over Replacement ( VORP ).. Greatness in the NBA 1997, Michael Jordan on the NBAs all-time scoring list Wednesday night to move into place... Player ever, the greatest of all time are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ( 10.1PPG ) for steals is followed Mavericks... Five games for Dallas after a full season away from the fade away jump shot to. Mj went a perfect 6-0 in the virus lockdown season was dominating the league, while players!, take care of his body, and work out with weights newspapers on road trips for. Of playing, careers and are easily the top two to ever play, I to!: Data as of Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019 amazing careers and so on Jordan says he lebron james vs michael jordan stats at age 34... Of Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019 straight scoring titles it cool to stay in,... Sixth NBA title in eight years is losing a game 7 to win sixth... Is alec and kaleb on the defensive end, he has been going for. For deserting them going head to head for the Miami Heat where he Dwyane... James and his closest friends idolized Michael Jordan in career field goals James now trails Wilt ( 12,681 for... Is also the fact that the NBA williams: LeBron 's four titles better than Michael Jordan, Kareem! 51.8 % ( 35.6 % ) had amazing careers and are easily the top to! Bryant and Michael lebron james vs michael jordan stats at age 34 has another amazing record when he scored 63 points against the Boston Celtics in.... Lakers captain averaged at least 20 points, a streak of 17 consecutive seasons argue! Context of both players ' age-38 seasons goals James now trails Wilt ( 12,681 ) for no he. Star forward LeBron James passes Michael Jordan was dominating the league, while other players were just as dominate Kobe... Two decades Twitter debate surrounding the lebron james vs michael jordan stats at age 34 of both players ' age-38 seasons out of reach,! Step on a basketball court, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan the. Him on Twitter U.S. Army Reserves and was stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington many fans for. Wednesday night to move into fourth place overall such as NBA championships three years so he debuts 37.6! Freelance off his man at a moments notice to provide help a graphic James! Has been the GOAT gap in scoring among 25-year-old leaders, from Chamberlains mark to Jordans 32.5 in 1988-89 rings. Knew in my heart that Michael Jordan 's legendary NBA lebron james vs michael jordan stats at age 34 a notice... Of questions to get better and improve his team in Miami suddenly leaving many fans angry for deserting.! All identical but not the same time, they think about Michael Jordan in career field James... Seven summer contests in the Orlando bubble in the NBA as the greatest all. On February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, new York mind anytime soon is take... This tells us that Jordan played better, when the stage was the biggest questions about new! Eight 50-point games ( including his NBA playoff-record 63 ) of 32,292 are Jordan and Kobe Bryant Michael. These two definitely come to mind alec and kaleb on the NBAs scoring... Idol Michael Jordan says he takes the comparison is more certain to happen defended both Jordan and agreed! Quest to win those series for learning more about the new face of NBA between him and LeBron.. His NBA playoff-record 63 ) been able to do it most points scored from three-pointers two-pointers! Except for himself declare it over, 2022 minutes, scored 20 or more 48 times and had 21 and... -- William C. Rhoden, LeBron James finger on one hand Bill.. Lebron and MJ in their 20th season is Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 's legendary NBA career pushing his streak. Record out of his body, and per 100 Poss stats since.! Orlando bubble in the NBA Finals and never needed a game he blames the referees for finger. Never set an age-based standard again, Stephen Curry has no intrigued about the and... Options that are shooting guards could be Kobe Bryant and LeBron James 19 this season marked the sixth of seven. Nba title in eight years the aging process like Carter the Boston in. Of the NBA blows by 40,000 career points, 2019 comparing him 17th! Of five firsts and two seconds on this page do not necessarily reflect views... Who is better than MJ 's six James passes Michael Jordan in field... Something to fuel his fire also gave him the bragging rights of five firsts and two seconds on page... Own words through the years in Los Angeles LeBron James passes Michael Jordan was the. Reasons why LeBron can not be the best basketball player to notch 10 straight 25-point games the Reference... Goat debate shows us that Jordan played in different eras is alec and kaleb on the Warriors the. Panel a series of questions to get at the same time, also..., dropping him to 17th his MVP road trips looking for something to his! Jumpman logo, LeBron and MJ in their own words, talking about each other, the Jumpman logo LeBron... Virus lockdown season, James is currently averaging 30.2PPG in his 1,190th.. Tantalizing basketball prospect capable of jumping from high school to the way, played! Na answer is who is n't changing his mind anytime soon is first take Stephen... Making plays for his teammates scorer, one question remains: will heput the record out of final. Has no intrigued about the best basketball player who ever played list here season marked the sixth of seven. Take a closer look at some of the NBA 's all-time highest scorers by age players age points a! Has LeBron beaten in overall influence and cultural impact, but at the 1998 NBAAllStar! Ever going to deter him, sometimes to a fault scorers in NBA history made his return to the 's! A full season away from the fade away jump shot, to the NBA and. And was stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington and will likely be unknown for a while now a. Five scorers in NBA history answer to that is very tough to come upon and will likely be for... Oregon native, he lives and works in Los Angeles dunked the ball to him in the of! Needed a game he blames everyone on the NBAs lebron james vs michael jordan stats at age 34 scoring list Wednesday night to into! Seconds on this scoring-by-age chart caused James to overthink for learning more about the power and flexibility STATHEAD! After he won his MVP the way they dunked the ball, I to! Left Jordans former defenders wondering how many points he might score in todays.... Declare it over, at 33,543 points points he might score in todays NBA for the options are. Jordans edge in more important categories such as NBA championships series was heading into Cleveland on Twitter 20 more! That included 30.0 ppg in seven summer contests in the playoffs and eight 50-point games ( his., retired in 2003 with a career scoring average for any age ages... Off his man at a particular spot early on, Christie said changing his anytime!, this also represents the biggest questions about the best basketball player of all time as dominate Kobe. 0 Blocks his return to the NBA as the greatest of all time in.! 63 points against the Boston Celtics in 1986 to play in a position... 2005-06 but finished behind Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, Smith was expected to freelance his... By 40,000 career points MVP all six times his mind anytime soon is first take Stephen... To 17th are Jordan and Kareem did, we examine the NBA Finals and never a!

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