There has always been a comparison or better yet a debate between LeBron and MJ on who is better than the other. At times it is said the Kobe Bryant is a better comparison to the great Michael Jordan, but LeBron James has made a name for himself and is qualified to be compared to MJ.
In previous interviews, LeBron has been quoted saying that he is better than the great MJ. With a recent NBA championship title in 2016 after a long spell and a Final Most Valuable Player (MVP), LeBron still has a long way to go before he can rightfully compare himself to MJ. For obvious reasons, MJ has the stats to back him up on being a great basketball player, but has LeBron gone and surpassed the greatest basketball player of all time?
In this blog, we have reasons that explain why LeBron is better or has surpassed Michael Jordan’s greatness, to some degree. He still has a long way to go before he can reach the heights that Jordan has reached, but James has time to play catch up and beat Jordan’s records. Some may agree that LeBron James is a better player than Jordan and the most dominant player to ever play the game while others will outright deny and come up with notes and charts as to why he is not anywhere near the great, legendary Michael Jordan. We all have our opinions, and these are just some of them to support the claim the James is better than Jordan.
Below are 10 reasons why LeBron James is better than Michael Jordan:
10. LeBron is an All-Around Player
Being a basketball player, versatility is a good thing, and LeBron has tons of it, be it defending against an important pass or rebounding ability or being a great passer, making him a triple threat. In the recent NBA Finals against the Warriors, LeBron has shown that he is a great defender. Intercepting shots, important passes, he did what was needed to be done in order to win the game. He is unselfish in ball handling and makes it easier and enjoyable for his teammates, he knows when to feed his teammates and when to play solo and not something most basketball players are known to do. Having more rebounds than MJ, though ties in blocks per game, James has a greater defense presence- as he stands at an astounding 6 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 250 pounds- than MJ who stands at 6 foot 6 inches.
At passing, he is far much better than Jordan with an average of 6.9 assists per game throughout his career, which is better to Jordan’s 5.3 assists per game.
Rebounds are one of his specialty as he takes it seriously like any center is supposed to. Surpassing Jordan on total rebounds, this says a lot as he has an average of 8 rebounds a game in one season. During the playoffs, James goes out of his way to showcase his rebounding skills, averaging over 2 more rebounds than Jordan did in playoffs.
9. LeBron has Years Ahead
LeBron is at his prime time, with an amazing career run so far and still has a lot of potentials to further his records and beat MJ’s records or any other. At 31, he has won 3 Championships, 3 Final MVPs, and 4 MVP Trophies to his name which is more than Jordan’s at the same age. He still has a long time before he retires and might end up having better stats than Jordan before he says it is done; this can be through more championships, points, and many more MVPs.
8. He is More All Star Appearances
Since his rookie season in 2003, James has made a total of 12 All-Star appearances in every single season of his career, compared to Jordan who only made seven appearances, with both being at 31 years old. This on its own, is a feat in itself as it is very difficult to make to ASG.