LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan: By the Numbers
It's a debate as old as LeBron's first Finals trophy that has left NBA fans divided -- who's better, Michael Jordan or LeBron James?
Cavaliers star James still appears to be in the prime of his career more than a decade after joining the league, and likely still has more seasons to go after switching to Cleveland from the Miami Heat.
PHOTOS: LeBron vs. Michael Stats
Jordan was reinventing himself a decade in, after rejoining the NBA following a one-season sabbatical, but Jordan was hitting a new stride with his Chicago Bulls, poised to go on a second three-peat run.
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It's not all about titles. LeBron on the other hand, has two championships behind him, and is now taking a second team to the Finals. When Jordan joined his second team (the Washington Wizards, following a second retirement that lasted three years), he clearly didn't have the same spark that he did with the Bulls.
It's tough to judge the trajectory of LeBron's career in-progress against Michael's completed one. But those who feel strongly on the issue may render a verdict before the evidence is all laid out. Two men even got into a bar fight in State College, Pa., last month over the topic.
But before you decide to duke it out, let's take a logical look at the numbers we do have:
LeBron James: 2004 to 2015 (12 seasons)
Michael Jordan: 1985 to 2003 (15 seasons)
Championships:
2 for LeBron
6 for Michael.
*Both were MVPs in all their championships.
All-Star Games
LeBron James: 11
Michael Jordan: 14
Playoff seasons
James: 10
Jordan: 13
Jordan Career Game Avg: PTS: 30.1, REB: 6.2, AST: 5.3; Total Regular Season Games: 1,072
James Career Game Avg: PTS: 25.3; REB: 6; AST: 7.4, Total Regular Season Games: 911
PHOTOS: LeBron's Mansion vs. MJ's Mansion
Let's break it down by percentages, since the playing field isn't quite even:
Championships: 2/12 seasons for LeBron - 17 percent (if the Cavaliers win these finals, his percentage jumps up to 25 percent of his career seasons ending in championships). Michael won 6 championships in 15 seasons - a 40 percent championship-season rate. However, as of this year, LeBron is about to step into his sixth finals series - his fifth in a row - while Jordan went to six in his whole career - and won every one of them.
All-Star Games - Each superstar is short one season for All-Star appearances, which means Michael appeared in 93.3 percent of his seasons, while LeBron has made it to 91.6 percent of his possible All-Star opportunities.
Playoffs: Both players missed the playoffs only two seasons in their careers, so again, Michael would have a higher percentage of playoff appearances - 83.3 percent for LeBron, 86.6 percent for Michael. Though it's interesting to note that Michael made the playoffs every year he was with the Bulls - all 13 of them. However, not only did MJ infamously retire in 1998, only to come back three years later and play for the Washington Wizards from 2001-2003 (the two seasons he didn't make the playoffs), but MJ also briefly retired during the '93-'94 season, and (also infamously) played minor league baseball in Birmingham, Alabama, in the summer of 1994.
So when LeBron's career is all wrapped up, who will be "the greatest"? Let us know in the comments below.
