Wilton Norman Chamberlain enters the fray, after spotting these great scorers five years due to rules and traditions of his day. Most of the time, I was just settling for contesting his shot.. He Did you know that Michael Jordan averaged about thirty points a game, and retired with six NBA championships. They have both made the most impact for their respective teams, they have also made rookie of the year their first years. -- Kevin Pelton. So theoretically. For James believers, his 10 Finals appearances are emblematic of LeBron's longer record of accomplishment. English, a second-round pick in 1976, had averaged 22.3 points across his first 14 seasons. Michael with no doubt left the NBA as one of the greatest players to ever play the game of basketball. LeBron vs. Jordan. LeBron James is currently the fourth-leading scorer in NBA history, 19 points ahead of Michael Jordan, who holds the No. Do you have a sports website? The effect of Jordans game was so profound that the league changed its rules to make the games more enjoyable. 1 overall pick in 2003. He wasnt able to singlehandedly drag the Los Angeles Lakers into the postseason. Considering James' elite scoring production at age 37, we examine the NBA's all-time highest scorers by age. Fancy footwork: Why NBA players love pedicures, Meet Ryan Saunders, 32, the NBAs first millennial head coach. With a film crew following them all season, "the last dance," as coach Phil Jackson called it, would be shadowed by tension and an overwhelming sense that their storied run was coming to an end. 9 min read. Through Michael Jordans athletic success on the court, he was able to make himself and his brand into a cultural icon, which had a great impact on the game of basketball, fashion, marketing, and the economy in America. One of a kind. Jordan and Lebron, Mike and the King, have been exalted above all other players, repeatedly for their superior play and championship drive. Javascript is required for the selection of a player. When most people think about Michael Jordan, they think about him as the greatest basketball player who ever played. Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins are split on Isiah Thomas' comment that LeBron James will surpass Michael Jordan as the game's greatest if he wins a fourth championship. Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. Will LeBron James become the all-time scoring leader? Your login session has expired. So for the record, youve got MJ, then Kobe, then LeBron. Their free throw output is very close; Jordan made 7,327 and LeBron has made 7,101. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Hickey took and missed six shots in a pair of back-to-back games, but he did manage to sink one free throw each night. Davis agreed, too, with a twist that neatly summarized these two greats differing approaches at this historic crossing. Over 14 games, James is averaging 34.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game on 51. NEW: Sample Searches for learning more about the power and flexibility of Stathead. So, who would you pick? Rockets: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Nets vs. Knicks: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, 76ers vs. Heat: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Cavaliers vs. Celtics: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Bulls vs. Pistons: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. I have research and know from a personal view that Kobe Bryant is a better basketball player than Michael Jordan. BPM, VORP, handedness not available for WNBA. Jordan even holds the record for most points per game with 43.7 in the 1986 playoffs. Do legends such as Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have a stronger case than Michael Jordan? Michael Jordan is still considered the greatest basketball player of all time. The answer to that is very tough to come upon and will likely be unknown for a long time. This one probably merits an asterisk, because the New Orleans strongman only played in 24 games his first season. Rockets: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Nets vs. Knicks: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, 76ers vs. Heat: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Cavaliers vs. Celtics: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Bulls vs. Pistons: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Percentage of total points scored from three-pointers, two-pointers and free throws for the top five scorers, Percentage of total points scored from three-pointers, two-. Abdul-Jabbar had averaged 17.5 points at age 39 but that still was a 20-point rate pro-rated to 36 minutes. But what he did in his 15th set the standard for 35-year-olds. In addition to his more imposing physique, James has surpassed Jordan in other ways. James has 28 career 40-point games in the playoffs and one 50-point game in the 2018 NBA Finals. It's all about which category you choose when it comes to advanced statistics. The debate is most often between LeBron James and Michael Jordan, though Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has some backers, too. Most people say Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan is the greatest player in the National Basketball Association (N.B.A) but who is better, Majority of people would say Kobe Bryant is a better player than Michael Jordan. He was also named finals MVP all six times. He had been called to active duty in the U.S. Army Reserves and was stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington. Check out the best moments from Luka Doncic during the 2019-20 season. Jordan has another amazing record when he scored 63 points against the Boston Celtics in 1986. They revolutionized the game and brought a standard to be met- Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. This season marked the sixth of Chamberlains seven straight scoring titles. They are both are Hall of Famers, with a combined eight championship rings together and counting. LeBron James just passed Michael Jordan on the NBAs career scoring list despite LeBron considering himself more playmaker than scorer. However, Jordan was not only a basketball player, but someone who influenced the American culture and society. This farewell cameo lasted a total of 43 minutes in April, during which the 7-footer made 5 of his 13 shots with 8 rebounds and 11 fouls. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. In the fall of 1997, Michael Jordan and the Bulls began their quest to win a sixth NBA title in eight years. There are so many more mountains to conquer. Jordan backers can no longer shout "6-0" and declare it over. LeBron has the highest VORP and Win Shares ever. James has gone 4-6 in his 10NBA Finals appearances, but he also controlled the Eastern Conference with the Cavaliers and Heat for almost an entire decade. If Pop had done that against MJ, he would have just scored 40.. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. Here are the top scorers, by average, for every NBA age: Check out the top 10 plays from Kobe Bryant's rookie season. Armand Emamdjomeh makes data visualizations, maps and graphics. Ben Golliver joined The Washington Post as the National NBA Writer in 2018. TOV and ORtg since 1977-78. American basketball star Michael Jordan was born on February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting. LeBron is probably going to pass Kareem and we dont even think of him as a scorer, said Sacramento Kings color commentator Doug Christie, who defended James during his 2003 pro debut. While arguments can be (and have been) made for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Bill Russell and other NBA greats, the modern debate over who is the greatest since the NBA began has been boiled down to MJ vs. LeBron. It was destined to be that way ever since James was crowned The Chosen One in high school, and his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers drafted him No. Bryant is followed by Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki (12.0PPG) and fellow Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (10.1PPG). But he did average 6.5 points in 18.1 minutes in that span of 393 games. Jordan has 38 career 40-point games in the playoffs and eight 50-point games (including his NBA playoff-record 63). While hes missed more playing time because of injury, Kevin Durant averages the same number of points per game as James and has scored more than 22,000 points in his 12 NBA seasons. The question thats been roaming around the air for quite awhile now iswho was better at it? ORB, DRB, STL, BLK, DRtg, BPM, VORP, and per 100 Poss stats since 1973-74. Fundamentally it is real, but at the same time, they also have some correspondence with goals and others. Sorting only sorts the values in the table shown. He averaged a career-best 5.3 3-point baskets while hoisting a career-high 12.7 attempts. WNBA all-time (since 1997) unless otherwise noted. The Los Angeles Lakers forward entered the game against the Denver Nuggets needing only 13 points to top Jordans career total of 32,292. Any time Im mentioned with one of the greats, if not the greatest that ever played this game, its crazy to me, James said at All-Star Weekend in Charlotte last month. The gap in total numbers will widen as long as James stays healthy, and he doesn't appear to be slowing down at age 38. However, Jordan has been much more loved by the fans than LeBron. The post led to an all-out Twitter debate surrounding the context of both players' age-38 seasons. AST% since 1964-65. Of course, losing those seasons would have cost him 3,279 points off his total of 38,387. pointers and free throws for the top five scorers in NBA history. That was too young for LeBron James, for Dwight Howard, for Amare Stoudemire. In the 2007 NBA Finals, and again in the 2013 Finals after Bowens retirement, Coach Gregg Popovich instructed the Spurs to back way off James, limiting his passing windows and driving lanes. LeBron is just the opposite and I say, bravo. Note: Data as of Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Bill Russells nemesis in their famous rivalry dropped off by nearly six points per game from the season before and still posted the second-highest scoring average in NBA history. Some stats were available earlier in the ABA. Aaron Williams contributed to the graphics. Has not lost in his era. WebGet the latest news, stats, videos, highlights and more about guard Michael Jordan on ESPN. BPM, VORP, handedness not available for WNBA. The top of the people that could change the logo would be the person that is the best to play the game and is Michael Jordan and is also the jumpman logo. Both LeBron and MJ won Rookie of the Year for their respective teams. So he debuts with 37.6 in his rookie season which would rank as the highest scoring average for any age except ages 24-27. Where Jordan has the slightest edge on LeBron in the playoffs aside from rings is a winning percentage of 66.5% with a record of 119-60. 1 on his list of top NBA players of all time. The largely forgotten Baylor, who set new standards for athletic moves and above-the-rim play in his time, had a special challenge in 1961-62. Against Jordan, Smith was expected to freelance off his man at a moments notice to provide help. Prior to the James era, the consensus pretty LeBron has put up some unheard of and unthinkable numbers, while leading a team in 2007 to the National Basketball Association finals that had no other star players on the roster. Winning a fourth NBA title and leading a third team to a championship might be the pinnacle of his basketball career, but in life, at 35, James is just getting started. Over 14 games, James is averaging 34.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game on 51.6% shooting. So he only could play for the Lakers on weekend passes, traveling to L.A. or wherever else they happened to be scheduled. As he prepared to pass Jordan for the most postseason points in NBA history in 2017, James himself declared: I dont want to be labeled as a scorer. Simmons purpose is to show the effects of being driven by competition and how that has brought James into the discussion for the greatest basketball player of all time. From the day LeBron James first picked up a basketball, he wanted to be like Mike. Stay up to date on the race for Kia NBA MVP with a look at the latest performances from the top candidates. Their goal was to dominate you. Wings had to track his every movement and battle for position before the ball arrived. These debates rage on endlessly in every corner of NBA fandom, and our experts have done their best to answer them, ranking the greatest players in the league's 74-year history. In conclusion, LeBron James is statistically a better player when it comes to all-around basketball. However, Michael Jordan was a much better scorer. He won more on the biggest stage, but failed often in the playoffs and rarely beat some of his greatest opponents. James played with better teammates than Jordan did. Look back at Elgin Baylor's legendary NBA career. His ability to find the open man makes it difficult to double-team him on the perimeter, forcing wing defenders to play him in single coverage. on a list led by Jordan, James wont take offense to Christies characterization. The debate rages on. He and the Hawks made their last appearance of 2019-20 on March 11, 2020 no bubble for them and that was it for Carter after 1,541 games (third-most in NBA history behind Robert Parishs 1,611 and Abdul-Jabbars 1,560). If Jordan got to his preferred spots, he could set up his trademark turnaround. The debate between who the best basketball player of all time has been going on for many years. LA Lakers star forward LeBron James has been on fire since turning 38 on December 30. Michael Jordan says he takes the comparison between him and LeBron James with a grain of salt because they played in different eras. LA Lakers star forward LeBron James has been on fire since turning 38 on December 30. They are the most popular players of their time, maybe the most popular in history. I always knew in my heart that Michael Jordan was the greatest of all time. FantasyPros considers the best player values for DraftKings and FanDuel NBA DFS. Are LeBron's four titles better than MJ's six? Both came to the NBA out of high school, both have been very high place since those early years, and made a huge impact on the league. Michael Jordan has 6 rings while LeBron has 3 rings. Data Provided By A statistical comparison reveals that peak Jordan dominated the ball more, shot more and scored far more than peak James. 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