Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James Career Comparison: The GOAT Against The Second Greatest Of All Time
Fadeaway World compares the careers of Michael Jordan and LeBron James, the two greatest NBA players of all time.
Credit: Fadeaway World
Michael Jordan is recognized as the greatest player of all time, capturing 6 NBA titles and kickstarting one of the greatest dynasties of all time. In many ways, Jordan changed the game and brought an influx of fans from all over the globe who wanted to see His Airness glide and fly all over the court. His dominance as a two-way shooting guard was unprecedented, and until today, we haven’t seen a player compete with him in that sense. Of course, his accolades are truly spectacular on an individual and team level. But there might be a man who can possibly challenge him when it comes to career accomplishments, and his name is LeBron James.
After 20 seasons of outstanding play in the NBA, LeBron James is considered the best small forward of all time. No small forward outside of Larry Bird can come close to what King James has achieved in his Hall of Fame career, and he also served as the cornerstone of three different championship-winning teams that won a total of 4 NBA titles. In terms of consistency, scoring ability, and all-around supremacy, LeBron is a one-of-a-kind player. Not to mention, James has been competing in the NBA for 20 years and has not really slowed down much. But which star player had a more successful career?
Both Jordan and James have amazing careers and should be honored as two of the greatest players of all time. Their achievements are extraordinary, and their longevity is something that is hard to compare to. To try to distinguish between the two legends, it is time to compare the careers of both players by their most important achievements and statistical categories. The end result might be surprising because both stars are held in the highest regard.
Championships
Michael Jordan: 6 (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998)
LeBron James: 4 (2012, 2013, 2016, 2020)
Michael Jordan won 6 NBA titles through two different 3-peats with the Chicago Bulls. That is enough to end the comparison there because capturing 6 titles as the best player on the team is rare and very hard to achieve. Jordan was lucky to play under Phil Jackson and also with other all-time great players, including Scottie Pippen, but the shooting guard was the undisputed main reason why the Bulls were so dominant. Defeating the likes of the Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, and Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA Finals, Jordan’s greatest argument for being the GOAT is the number of his championship rings.
Meanwhile, LeBron dominated the court with the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Lakers en route to 4 championships with three different teams. James was the best player on each of those teams and earned every Finals MVP trophy as well. His success against the 73-9 Golden State Warriors in 2016 was iconic and might be one of the greatest achievements by any NBA player ever. But in terms of total championships, James is stuck on 4, and it does not seem like he will be adding any more before his career is up if he does remain with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Winning rings is the single most important part of a superstar's career, and Jordan has the edge over LeBron James. Michael has played with some all-time great players, such as Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman but he was always the franchise player on the court. Similarly, James played with some elite talent, including Dwyane Wade, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, and Chris Bosh, although he was the undisputed best player on all championship teams. But overall, in the raw number of championships won, Jordan has the edge.
Advantage: Michael Jordan
Finals MVP Awards
Michael Jordan: 6 (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998)
LeBron James: 4 (2012, 2013, 2016, 2020)
Every time the Chicago Bulls played a game, Michael Jordan stole the show. The superstar shooting guard was the best player on each of the championship Bulls teams that took down the opposition during the two separate three-peats. His greatest performance in the Finals came in 1993 against Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns when Michael averaged 41.0 PPG, 8.5 RPG, and 6.3 APG to take down the MVP of the league. Jordan was spectacular all series long, shooting 50% from the floor. All of Jordan’s performances in the Finals were extraordinary, but that one stands out the most. With 6 Finals MVP Awards, he is the all-time leader in NBA history.
LeBron James has 4 Finals MVPs and 4 NBA titles, meaning he was the best player for each of his NBA rings. LeBron was the best player in the world for his championships with the Heat, Cavs, and Lakers, and there was never even a debate. Some might argue that Kyrie Irving was the Finals MVP in 2016 because of his clutch game-winner over Stephen Curry, but not being the team’s closer does not mean James was not the best player on the team. LeBron did well to place himself in positions to succeed with three different teams and deserved all his Finals MVP trophies. But again, Jordan has a massive edge.
Advantage: Michael Jordan
MVP Awards
Michael Jordan: 5 (1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998)
LeBron James: 4 (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013)
People still argue to this day that Michael Jordan deserved more than 5 MVP awards, but that is still a hefty haul of achievements. The greatest guard to have ever lived, Jordan was a beast on both ends of the floor and deserved all his MVP accolades. Being the greatest scorer in the NBA and winning 10 scoring titles certainly helped his MVP votes every year because no player could effortlessly get buckets like MJ. His rise to become the NBA champion in 1991 also gave him more boost to win the MVP trophy. At his retirement, Jordan finished his career with 5 MVP awards, and he probably should have had more.
LeBron James was unlucky not to have more because he suffered from being too good in the regular season for modern voters. It would have been perceived as a bias to give LeBron the MVP every year, so the likes of Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose might have stolen some MVP Awards from LeBron. But winning 4 MVP awards does signify that The King was the best player of his generation and certainly the greatest player of the 2010s decade.
Ultimately, there is a separation between the two superstars because Michael managed an extra MVP award over the all-time great small forward. Both superstar players are recognized as the franchise players for their teams in their respective periods and also the best players at their position almost every season of their absolute prime, but Michael has the edge in this category.
Advantage: Michael Jordan
All-NBA Teams
Michael Jordan: 11 (10 First Team, 1 Second Team)
LeBron James: 18 (13 First Team, 3 Second Team, 2 Third Team)
Michael Jordan has been named to 11 All-NBA Teams, including 10 First Teams. That means in a 15-year career (which includes two seasons where he played under 20 games), he missed out on 4 All-NBA appearances. Considering two of them do not count due to injury and retirement, Jordan missed out on the All-NBA Team only twice. Had Michael not retired and stayed in the league over those 5 seasons, he might have had 16 All-NBA Team appearances. But Michael currently does not have an advantage over The King, especially when looking at purely First Team selections.
LeBron James has made 18 All-NBA Teams, with 13 First Team appearances. Of course, those are incredible achievements, and we might not see a player with this type of consistency as a player again. Even as James has aged, he is still capable of impacting the game by controlling the pace of the offense and using his leadership to dictate results. As things stand, LeBron James is the longevity king and has his first advantage over the great Michael Jordan.
Advantage: LeBron James
All-Star Selections
Michael Jordan: 14
LeBron James: 18
Michael Jordan had a total of 14 All-Star appearances as he only missed the All-Star Team in 1995 when he came back at the end of the season from retirement to only play 17 games. Jordan's two retirement stints limited the number of All-Star Teams he might have participated in, but the reality remains that he has fewer All-Star appearances than LeBron James. Making 14 All-Star Teams is no small feat, and he would have had at least 19 All-Star Teams if he had never retired from the game. Regardless, Michael can’t have the argument for being a longevity maestro like LeBron can.
Meanwhile, LeBron James has a total of 18 All-Star appearances. That is an incredible achievement for a small forward who lives in the lane because the majority of players struggle to stay healthy and play at a star level for that long and often break down, as they take a ton of damage to their lower body. But James is one of the most intelligent players ever, and he has been able to impact the game for a very long time. Nobody knows LeBron’s secrets for keeping healthy for this long, but it has to be a mix of inhuman genetics and dedication to keeping his body intact and ready to go. LeBron once again has an edge over Michael Jordan.
Advantage: LeBron James
All-Defensive NBA Teams
Michael Jordan: 9 (9 First Team)
LeBron James: 6 (5 First Team, 1 Second Team)
Anyone who watched Michael Jordan play since he entered the league would tell you that the Bulls superstar is one of the greatest defensive players of all time. The 6'6" shooting guard was tasked with defending the opposing team’s best players on countless occasions, especially when he was younger, because his physical and mental skills were off the charts. Many remember Michael for being the greatest scorer ever, but his defense still does not get enough credit because he was one of the few guards to ever win the Defensive Player of the Year award in 1988 by averaging 3.2 SPG and 1.6 BPG.
LeBron James should have made more All-Defensive Teams over his career because he has the physical tools to be the best defender of all time. LeBron was an incredible defender early on in his career and especially with the Miami Heat, but he started giving up on defense as he aged and simply lacked the determination to be a lockdown defender every night. Some might argue that Marc Gasol did steal LeBron James’ Defensive Player of the Year trophy in 2013, but The King still will never have that accolade to his name. Overall, Jordan was a better defender than LeBron, and there is no doubt about that.
Advantage: Michael Jordan
Total Win Shares
Michael Jordan: 214.0
LeBron James: 250.5
Win Shares is a statistic that tries to allocate a team’s wins for each player on the roster. For example, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar owns the single-season record for Win Shares with 25.4 during 1971-72 on a Milwaukee Bucks team that won 63 games. In terms of contributing to a winning side and helping his side to win games consistently, it is obvious LeBron James has a better win shares rating than Michael Jordan.
Michael Jordan has a win shares rating of 214.0, a solid figure but clearly much less than LeBron James’s. The shooting guard, for some reason, was not as important to his team with regards to win shares when compared to The King. The shooting guard was obviously a player that impacts winning, but this particular statistic does not reflect that when comparing the Bulls star to King James. Michael’s win shares figure ranks 5th all-time behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LeBron James, Wilt Chamberlain, and Karl Malone.
LeBron James has an extraordinary win shares rating of 250.5, an incredible figure that is clearly above Michael Jordan’s. James is one of the most impactful players of all time and has been on multiple winning teams throughout history, mainly because the small forward does everything so well on the court. The King’s win shares rating actually ranks second all-time behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who has the best win shares rating in NBA history. Amazingly, LeBron has a higher win shares rating than Michael Jordan.
Advantage: LeBron James
Career Player Efficiency Rating
Michael Jordan: 27.9
LeBron James: 27.3
Player Efficiency Rating, better known as PER, is a statistic created by John Hollinger that’s goal is to give each NBA player a comprehensive rating. Hollinger’s PER metric is unique because it combines a player’s positive and negative contributions on the court.
With a PER of 27.9, Michael Jordan is the best player of all time, according to the statistic. Jordan has winning potential because of his incredible offensive skill set, and he managed to have shooting splits of 49.7% FG, 32.7% 3-PT FG, and 83.5% FT while averaging 30.1 PPG over his career. On any level, that is absolutely elite, and Jordan was always looking for new ways to enhance his game. Jordan's PER is quite significant when looking at his ability to make perimeter shots at a very high field goal percentage. Amazingly, to close the debate between the two players, Jordan’s PER rating is first all-time, and LeBron’s is second all-time.
LeBron James ranks 2nd all-time with a PER of 27.3. James has a positive influence on winning due to his incredible all-around skill set. A pass-first player with a superstar ability to score at the basket, James has career averages of 27.1 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 7.3 APG on 50.4% FG, 34.6% 3-PT FG, and 73.4% FT. Very few players in NBA history can provide the triple-double skills that LeBron has shown year after year, but he still finishes second all-time behind the GOAT, Michael Jordan.
Advantage: Michael Jordan
Final Score
Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James 5-3
In the end, to close the GOAT debate once and for all, Michael Jordan has the edge over LeBron James. Jordan won more NBA titles, more Finals MVPs, more MVPs, and was a better defender with more All-Defensive Teams and a Defensive Player of the Year trophy. Michael’s 10 scoring titles were not even taken into consideration either, but that is yet more proof that Jordan was one-of-a-kind. James has the edge in longevity accolades, including All-Star and All-NBA appearances, although his edge in the win shares is very interesting. But at 5-3, there is no doubt who the better player is.
Both LeBron James and Michael Jordan are very close in their statistics, and also each has Hall of Fame accolades that place them on the Mt. Rushmore of NBA athletes. LeBron has longevity on his side along with a near-perfect all-around game, while MJ has the victories and scoring prowess to his name. Considering the regular season stats, playoff stats, and accolades achieved, it is a safer bet to place Michael Jordan firmly atop the NBA as the best ever.
A 6-0 Finals record with 6 rings beats out a 4-6 Finals record with 4 rings, and MJ seems to be a better player in the playoffs considering his low turnover rate and extremely efficient scoring. If LeBron James manages to win another ring next year, this conversation might start up again, and then it will be time to revisit the comparison. But for now, MJ is in the driver's seat in the GOAT talk.
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