![]() ![]() Then he was hailed as returning royalty when he took his name, game, and 21 million Twitter flock back to Akron. He was excoriated for fleeing his hometown and home team for palm trees and Pat Riley. Kevin Love is out and Kyrie Irving is hurt, putting LeBron in a familiar role as Batman sans Robin. Kobe lost twice, but won five, and Jordan never tasted defeat. And while LeBron should get kudos for making it to the Finals four straight times, he takes a hit for losing two of them. LeBron had no Pippen or Shaq, but Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh were rather credible copilots. LeBron gets copious credit for taking Cleveland's forlorn franchise to the NBA Finals the first time, getting stomped by San Antonio, while perhaps no one other than LeBron would have started for the Spurs. Kobe Bryant is a notch below Jordan because he never got that sixth ring. Like it or not, fair or not, Jordan's flawless Finals play is what distinguishes him from anyone since Bill Russell. So if you thrash through the swamp of statistics, you'll see that the numbers are comparable, until you get to the final round of the playoffs. LeBron has averaged 27.9 points in the playoffs (4,715 total) in 169 games. Jordan also averaged 33.4 points in the playoffs (5,987 total), in 179 games. LeBron has scored 24,913 points, has two rings, two-time NBA Finals MVP, has four NBA MVP awards, one scoring title, and is an 11-time All-Star. Jordan retired with 32,292 points (all but about 3,000 of which scored with the Bulls), six rings, six NBA Finals MVP awards, ten scoring titles, five NBA MVP awards, and was a 14-time All-Star. Should LeBron lose in the NBA Finals (most concede Cleveland will beat Atlanta to get there), then he will be a dubious 2-4 in the Finals, and will need to win at least three NBA championships in the next five years to share an orbit with His Airness. if we use 27 or 28 as a baseline, it won't give us a clear winner by age 30, but since Father Time and Mother Nature tag-team every athlete, most will agree that LeBron, at 30, has about four or five years to make it to Michael-Land. LeBron will retire with more assists and rebounds, but it's the final game of the final round that will ultimately nudge the needle toward either icon.Īnd LeBron isn't going to take a hiatus to play our pastime. Since his game spreads like butter across the box score, LeBron will never be as robust a scorer as Jordan. Jordan went on to win five more scoring titles, giving him ten, a number LeBron will never come near. Should LeBron lead Cleveland to the title this year, he will have his third ring at 30, equaling Jordan at the same age. Jordan was 29 when he won his third championship. With an extra two seasons worth of games under his belt, the numbers predictably tilt toward LeBron. At age 28, Jordan had scored 19,000 points, had 1,594 steals, 623 blocks, 3,507 assists, 3,697 rebounds, hit 52% of his shots, in 589 games. It's a slightly skewed comparison, since Jordan was 21 when he entered the league, while LeBron was 18. LeBron has won two NBA Finals, and lost three. Jordan, of course, won six NBA titles, and lost none. ![]() Jordan had won a Defensive Player of the Year award. (LeBron has four overall, while Jordan retired with five.) Jordan had won five scoring titles. At 27, Jordan had three NBA MVP awards, LeBron also had three. Jordan won three in a row, LeBron won two, lost the three-peat to San Antonio. Both won their first titles when they were 27-years-old. ![]()
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