Michael Jordan and LeBron James have been widely regarded as two of the greatest basketball players of all time. While there are no definitive answers to settle who is the greatest between the two, the debates have been a part of basketball lore for the longest time.
Former second overall pick Michael Beasley offered his opinion on the “GOAT” debate, saying that James, who was his former teammate with the Miami Heat, is the greatest player ever. In the same vein, Beasley also took a jab at fans in “The OGs,” saying Jordan was the best:
“I feel like people that say Michael Jordan is the GOAT, like no disrespect, but y’all just holding on to old feelings.
“He’s got 40,000 [points] right now and counting. You’ve seen his résumé. We think we take care of our bodies, but he treats his self like a machine. He’ll be playing cards with us and somebody will be there stretching him. How are you gonna sit here and say he’s not the best ever?”
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Jordan has been trailing James in the scoring list since 2019 and the latter has since eclipsed the all-time scoring mark set by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar two years ago. The former Chicago Bulls star, however, leads in points per game average.
Meanwhile, James led Jordan in total rebounds and assists. The Los Angeles Lakers star has also been one of the most invulnerable players in the league, having already played 21 seasons and counting in the NBA.
At 39, James continued to be an elite player, averaging 25.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.3 assists in the past season to lead the Lakers to the playoffs, something that Jordan has not done in his later years with the Washington Wizards.
However, the only deal breaker for most fans is the number of championships won by Jordan as he led the Bulls to two three-peats in the 1990s, going 6-0 in the NBA Finals. James, on the other hand, has only won four NBA titles in 10 finals appearances.
Report reveals possible anomaly in Michael Jordan’s DPOY win
Another thing that separates the two is Jordan’s Defensive Player of the Year award he won in 1988. However, a recent report suggested that Jordan’s defensive stats in that year may have been inflated.
According to Tom Haberstroh of Yahoo Sports, a former stat keeper revealed that inflating stats for home players was a common practice during Jordan’s time. Citing Basketball Reference, home teams got about 800 more blocks, and 450 more steals than visitors.
In the 1988 season, Jordan averaged 4.0 steals and 2.1 blocks in Chicago, a stark contrast to his averages on road games, which were 2.1 steals and 1.2 blocks. Jordan also recorded 71 more steals at home than on the road in that season, while having 37 more blocks in Chicago than any other city
