Attempting to compare two of the greatest players of all time is hard.
But I will attempt to do so. I’ll be going over some of the arguments I’ve come across and writing what I think. First, let’s start with the number of championships each player won and how good of an assessment that statistic is in comparing James and Jordan. In that regard, Jordan won 6, while James, as of 2020, has won 4. James will probably be playing at least four more seasons, so we have time to see what happens. However, it is safe to assume that the chances of him overtaking MJ and achieving seven rings are slim. For such a feat to happen, back in 2017, he had to overcome one of the all-time best teams in NBA history, if not the best in Golden State Warriors. Not only did the Dubs put up a record 73 wins in the regular season of 2015–2016, but they also added Kevin Durant to the team alongside the only unanimous MVP in NBA history, Stephen Curry, with his other teammates Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. During MJ’s championship campaigns, it is safe to say that he never had to face a team like the 2017 Golden State Warriors. However, Jordan was consistent. Jordan won three straight championships with the bulls before retiring temporarily and then returned as if nothing had changed two years later, only to win three more rings. That is true greatness. At the peak of his prime, Jordan claimed what he deserved in the most spectacular fashion. James’s run with the Heat would have been similar had they not lost the 2011 finals, which remains a question mark on his resume, or the 2014 finals, which was a disaster. And once upon a time, beating the Golden State Warriors just once was in itself a herculean task that demands more credit than it is given.
If you give the argument that MJ never lost in the finals as opposed to James, who has a record of four wins and six losses in the finals, that’s just weak. In a finals game, there’s an infinite number of variables that can result in total disaster. Any team that comes to the finals has proven that its players are the best in the league (Well, at least half the league considering that the West Coast Conference has been superior to the East Coast Conference by a considerable margin for the last two decades). James has been to 10 finals as of 2020 and might have a few more in the time to come. So, to summarize, finals records are dumb.
I don’t think it’s a disputed fact that Michael Jordan is the best all time clutch player ever to grace the court. MJ’s performance in the last moments of the game has always been phenomenal. If the game is tied or on the line and comes down to the last couple of possessions, anybody who knows to play basketball would feed the ball to MJ. Jordan beats James and any other sports superstar we have ever seen in terms of confidence and the will power to control situations where it matters the most. One look at MJ and anyone can tell you that this is the guy who will make it happen. However, it is also true that basketball is a team game, and on most occasions, a player needs to make the right decisions for the team, at least theoretically. This decision making ability is what makes James such a gifted athlete. James is a basketball mastermind who can analyze a given situation and develop the best play possible. Executing these plays is another story, but it takes selflessness for one of the greatest players on the planet to choose to pass the ball to a better shooter to close a game in its dying seconds.
Furthermore, many people make the mistake of defining greatness by the momentous events on a grand stage, like the last minutes of a final game. Many argue that James relied on Irving to make a game-closing three and seal the deal for the Cavaliers in the 2016 victory. However, people fail to see that the Cavaliers would have never had the CHANCE to compete for a win if it weren’t for James’s block on Iguodala, or his ability to do the impossible and average a triple-double to get the Cavaliers to come back from a 3–1 deficit: something that no team had ever been able to do in NBA history.
As far as getting the numbers on the board is concerned, MJ is better. He could give you points in the most impossible situations, and he would make it seem effortless. James isn’t as good as scoring as Jordan, but, as an all round player, I believe James is ahead of Jordan. Besides free throws, James matched Jordan in everything he did. In fact, in most scenarios, James was better. There’s a reason why James was called the “L-Train”; If anyone stands between James and the rim, chances are they’ll either get posterized or they’ll just let him have it. But then, there’s a difference. If the clock is running down and you’re down by two, Jordan would probably take the three and make it. James, however, would still make the right play, but usually the result is not in his favor. Although James knows that he is the best active player on the planet, he would pass the ball to Danny Green if hes open at the three-point line because statistically, Danny Green is a better three-point shooter than James. Now that isn’t always the right decision (See Lakers vs. Heat Game 5 of the 2020 NBA Finals). James passes to his teammates because he likes to share the glory. It’s not James’ fault if his teammates miss the shot in the process, but he must do whatever it takes to win for the fans and the franchise. On the other hand, Jordan had the belief that he would win by taking matters into his own hands. Most of the time, this belief was correct. James has a different approach and if it doesn’t work as well as Jordan’s approach well, then consider Jordan better in that regard.
Both James and Jordan dominate on the court and have done so throughout their respective careers. Their dominance is where things get truly fascinating. For over a decade, James has been solidifying his position as the best player in the league. He is the king, and the league’s value will take a dip if he leaves. But in all those years, he won the championship only four times, with a streak of 2 in 2012 and 2013. His ultimate control over the league competition has been on and off, thanks to the very talented western conference. But it was a whole different story with Jordan. Jordan won his first three rings consecutively from ‘91 to ‘93 and things were getting so dull for him so he left basketball for two years. During these two years, Jordan’s team loses in the playoffs before reaching the conference finals. Guess what? Jordan wasn’t having any of it. So, Jordan decides to come back and then continues to win three more rings. Now that was sheer dominance. When James plays, he’s able to bring his team to the finals. If Jordan plays, he’s able to make his team win the finals. Jordan went out with six rings and decided to stop playing again. Now there is no telling what would have happened if he had not decided to skip the two years in between and the few years after ‘98. Would the Chicago Bulls have dominated the league for the whole decade? It seems likely. James has been making the finals for seven straight years, but he didn’t go all the way as Jordan did. But you can’t put Jordan ahead of James as several tangibles come into the picture. If the ability to win championships is the comparison metric, it does not make much sense to compare players. It would be more apt to compare Jordan’s Bulls to James’ Lakers/Heat/Cavs. Bulls were better as a team. This comparison doesn’t definitively mean that Jordan was better than James, but at the same time, it seems more likely.
During his career, Michael Jordan performed all the practical feats required for him to be inducted into the GOAT conversation. On the other hand, James came into the league when MJ had already been unmistakably titled the GOAT. All James has been able to do is try and match a literal living legend’s legacy. Although James is putting up insane stats, getting his teammates involved, and doing all the right things to solidify his legacy, he is still below some of the metrics established by MJ fans. And the metrics go on. Sadly, the players who help raise these legends to multiple NBA championships get little recognition and are not considered a GOAT contender. For example, when Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant played for the Golden State Warriors, they were gifted players in their class. Despite their individual talent, KD and Curry didn’t overshadow their teammates. Suppose we were to take them away at that time and put them into different teams. In that case, they might have ended up with MVP performances and would have had to struggle to make the playoffs, something like what Giannis Antetokounmpo is doing for the Milwaukee Bucks. Giannis is still 25, has won his second consecutive MVP, and will predictably be in the GOAT conversation in the years to come.
What I’m trying to say that despite the metrics we produce to compare these players, they will always fall short in explaining the brilliance produced on the court. We could build up our metrics and the debate would never stop. It’s just so much fun to compare players, especially when they are from different eras. However, I think we all know that it is virtually impossible to define the one true GOAT. There is no gain in defining the GOAT, and even if there were such a title to be given to one player over all others, each person would have his/her logic to who the real GOAT is. As a fan, I want to vote for James because I grew up watching him and have seen him achieve greatness. But for the rest of the world, this opinion might differ. People talk about the greats after they accomplish the things they do, but many fail to give credit to the moment’s greatness. It isn’t the result. It’s the journey. The best thing we can do as fans is to sit back and enjoy the brilliance of these greats on the court.
