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Who Is The Greatest Basketball Player Of All Time?

Trey Binder

          If you have any familiarity with NBA basketball there is a big controversy over who is the greatest basketball player of all time. Many would say it is Michael Jordan, and others would say it is LeBron James. Both are extremely good basketball players but there only can be one greatest of all time. The reason this is such a problem is because one of the players (James) is a current player. On the other hand, Jordan decided to retire in 1998. In 2001, Jordan then decided to come out of retirement, but went back into retirement in 2004. People say Jordan is better because he has a higher point average per game throughout his entire career than James does. Jordan also has more awards than James such as MVP’s (Most valuable player) and Defensive player of the year. Others that say James is better because he has more assists and rebounds per game. The thing that makes them so highly competitive with each other is how much they both mean to the teams they were on. But overall Jordan is still the better player.

          LeBron James was born in Akron, Ohio in 1984 and was a star from the time he first touched a basketball. James came into the NBA right out of high school, which is another reason people say James is better. He didn’t go to college but Jordan did. Even though James is still currently playing in the NBA, he brings so much to his team because of how physical of a player he is. James is 6’8 and 250 pounds of pure muscle. He is one of the fastest players in the league. With that kind of athleticism and size it is almost impossible to guard.  James can score on you and hurt you so many ways, he can take you off the dribble and to the hoop because of how big and strong he is. He can also hurt you with his precise passing, it’s like he has a sixth sense and he knows exactly where the other teammate is going to be. Or he can hurt you with his shot, he can shoot off the dribble or on a spot up from anywhere on the court. His three-point percentage is higher when he is in the corner than when he is around the perimeter. Granted Jordan was a better three-point shooter than James but he is very close percentage wise.

“James averages 8.7 rebounds and 8.6 rebounds a game” (LeBron James Stats). Jordan only averaged 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists. When James was a rookie he averaged 21.2 points a game and led his team to the division championship (Boyle). “Jordan entered the NBA in 1984 where in his rookie season he averaged 28.2 points per game and had six games where he scored over forty” (George par. 6).

          Michael Jordan was born in 1963 In Brooklyn, New York but moved to New York city when he was very young. After high school Jordan played his college ball at the University of North Carolina where he led his team to two national championships in his time there. Jordan was a lock down defender which is proven because he is third all-time in steals with a total of 2,514.  But he wasn’t just a lockdown defender he could also score the ball according to Steven George Jordan wasn’t as big as James or as physical so he had to rely on his high basketball IQ, his quickness, and his sharp shooting. Jordan was 6’6 but only weighed 195 pounds. Jordan was said to be the most clutch player to ever play the game of basketball. When they needed a game winning shot to be made he delivered no matter how tightly guarded he was. Jordan’s biggest attribute was his shot selection. He rarely took bad shot, which is why in his career average he shot “51% from the floor” (LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan Comparison) While James has only shot 49% for his career. (LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan Comparison).

Team Chemistry in a team is very important. It doesn’t matter if you have five of the best players in the world if they don’t know how to play with each other. James has been known to have a hot head and to argue with his teammates. Jordan on the other hand was never reported arguing or bickering with his teammates. He was the ultimate definition of a true team player. That is a main reason he is better than James.

          Jordan and James won multiple NBA championships in their careers but Jordan got a total of six and LeBron only has three. James has won a ring on two different teams coming from the Miami Heat where he got his first two and the just last year got his first one with the Cleveland Cavilers. Jordan won all six of his championship rings with the Chicago Bulls. Jordan has five MVP’s (most valuable players) to James’s four, and Jordan was also a nine-time defensive player of the year and James is only a six time (Michael Jordan Statistics).

           Each team they played on had what they call “the big three”. On Jordan’s team they had Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Horace Grant. Four of their six championships they won together came in four consecutive years. On James’s heat team the big three they had was LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. James was only on the Miami Heat for three years but won a championship two out of those three years. When James left the Heat to go to the Cavilers he joined another big three with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. James’s first year on the Cavilers they fell short in the championships and lost to the Warriors. The year after they returned to the finals and faced the Warriors again and best them in seven games. This will be James’s third year back with the Cavilers and he is the favorite to win the NBA championship again. It is safe to say that the teams they played on had very great athletes and very special players.

           In conclusion, there are many arguments of who the greatest player in the world really is. There are statistics you can look at to make your decision but statistics are not they only thing you need too. You need to look with how they play with their team, how good of chemistry they have together as a unit, and then the statistics. Statistics are important but there are many things that can change. When you make your decision think hard because either way you choose someone is always going to have another side to that arguing why the other player is better. 

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Works Cited

Boyle, Seth. “LeBron James Career Statistics.” Statistic Brain, Statistic Brain, 19 Feb.

2016, www.statisticbrain.com/lebron-james-career-statistics/. Accessed 26 Apr. 2017.

George, Steven. “Biography.” IMDb, IMDb.com,

www.imdb.com/name/nm0003044/bio. Accessed 26 Apr. 2017.

 “LeBron James Stats, Video, Bio, Profile.” NBA.com, NBA,

www.nba.com/players/lebron/james/2544. Accessed 26 Apr. 2017.

LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan Comparison, “Land Of Basketball.com.”

www.landofbasketball.com/player_comparison/lebron_james_vs_michael_jordan.htm. Accessed 26 Apr. 2017. 

“Michael Jordan Stats.” Basketball-Reference.com, www.basketball

reference.com/players/j/jordami01.html. Accessed 26 Apr. 2017