Jake Ordakowski
Mrs. Balaban
English
October 20th, 2018
Greatest of All Time
LeBron James and Michael Jordan are two of the greatest basketball players in NBA history. They share many similarities, but are also vastly different. Jordan was a better scorer, averaging more points per game than James. James was better at rebounding, as he averaged more rebounds than Jordan. James averages more assists than Jordan because he is a pass-first player. James and Jordan are both very efficient players, and have very similar player efficiency ratings. James and Jordan also are both great winners, and have both had success in the finals, though Jordan has won more.
Both Jordan and James were the primary ball handlers for each of their teams, so they had similar opportunities to score. Jordan averaged more points than James, averaging 30.1 through his whole career, while James’ current points per game average for his career his 27.1, according to Basketball-Reference.com. In his first season, Jordan was dominant right off the start off his career, averaging 28.2 points, while James averaged only 20.9 in his first season. In his third season, Jordan averaged his career best points per game in a season of 37.1, greater than James’ career high of 31.4, which similarly came in his third season. Jordan also averaged more points in the post season, as his career playoff average is 33.4, the current NBA record according to Landofbasketball.com. James career average in the playoffs is 28.9, which is fifth best in NBA history. Jordan also holds the record for most points averaged in a single playoff, which is 43.7, while James’ best single playoff average for points is 35.3. Jordan has lead the league in scoring on ten occasions, while James has only accomplished the feat once. Jordan is fourth on the NBA all-time scoring list with 32,292, while James is currently sixth with 31,202, according to ESPN.com. While Jordan is currently higher on the list and was a better scorer than James, James could more than likely pass him as he is still playing, currently in his sixteenth season and first with the Los Angeles Lakers. However, Jordan also could have scored more points in his career, but suffered a few serious injuries and was retired three separate times. These averages and overall points show Jordan was not only a better scorer than James, but one of the best in the history of the game.
James and Jordan were both very good rebounders in their careers and hustled very hard, but James is the better rebounder. Jordan averaged 6.2 rebounds per game in his career, while James current average is 7.4. Jordan has a single season best of 8.0 rebounds, while James currently is averaging his single season best 9.0 rebounds per game in the 2018-2019 NBA season. Jordan also averaged 6.4 rebounds per game in his playoff career, with a single playoff high of 7.9. James has averaged 8.9 rebounds per game in his playoff career so far, with a high off an astonishing 11.3 in the 2...
