Do people honestly think that Micheal Jordan is better than LeBron James?

Arguments like this make your point much less valid. How could you possibly know he will be the best player the world has ever seen? If professional basketball continues for another say100 or 200 years there is a very good chance someone much much better than Jordan will come along. However I keep hearing this "Jordan is the best player the world will ever see" bs over and over again by his absurdly revisionist fans.

fsdflkjfdsflkjf wrote:

0/10

Revisionism is exactly what the OP is trying to do. Anyone who lived through the Jordan era knows he was better.

^

this

Wilt Chamberlain was far and away a bigger force than LeBron could ever hope to be

how many playoff games did Lebron win at the buzzer?

coach wrote:

how many playoff games did Lebron win at the buzzer?

How many times would Cleveland have been in a position to win at the buzzer without him? The fact that his pathetic team was ever in a position to win is a testament to his ability.

voting yes for Jordan

ya, its too bad Larry Bird has better statistics than Jordan in every single category........

I think the championships comparison is a bit hollow right now. LBJ is only 28 and barring some career-limiting injury he is likely to play another 7-8 prime seasons and if the formula established in Miami remains consistent he's pretty much guaranteed to rack up several titles.

I wasn't originally a big fan of MJ - Charles Barkley was my favorite player, but we got WGN (Chicago channel) when I was growing up so I ended up starting to watch Bulls games all the time. And I ended up wanting to watch every game...why? Michael Jordan. Dude was incredible, captivating - I had no burning desire to like him or cheer for the Bulls, but I did anyway. MJ was fascinating to watch...and I don't really watch the NBA now so can't say my opinion of Lebron, but IF he was as good as Jordan I would probably have noticed and would want to watch his games the same way as I did with Jordan's when I was a kid. Not saying I approve of some of his off-the-court stuff, but he was flat-out the best basketball player of all time, and he will always be the benchmark. 30 years from now, ESPN analysts won't be talking about the next Kobe or the next Lebron - it will still be "the next MJ". I will definitely come back in 30 years and dig this quote up btw.

Jordan became a legend because he played at the cusp of sports globalization. He was the best player at a time when the NBA exploded across the world. He was signed with Nike, who was the biggest company in the world and the rest is history. The Jordan BRAND made him a legend. If Magic came up a few years later, or Lebron and Jordan switched birthdays, either one of them would be the legend now. Read Michael Jordan and the New Global Capitalism if you want a better sense for why Jordan was so popular, and in turn, so legendary.

So Lebron is the better player?

Your first argument is that Jordan has a better PER. wtf? Then you say Lebron is the better defender? Jordan was a 9 time member of the all pro defensive team and defensive player of the year winner...as a 6'6" forward. He averaged 2.4 steals per game to Lebrons 1.7. He averaged only .07 of a block less per game. How is Lebron the better defender? Saying Lebron is faster than Jordan is just ignorant did you ever see Jordan play? I mean pre-retirement light up the Celtics for 63 greasey fast Jordan. Having seen them both play this one's not even close Jordan was waaayyy faster. Teams actually play defense now? Wow...Pistons Celtics late 80's early 90's that was defense.

I agree that it's not even close but Jordan wins. ahem 6 championships

still recall soccer players and ballet dancers in awe of how Jordan moved. Combination of power, speed, and GRACE. Dont get it with Lebron. Sorry but Jordan had IT and its no failure to fall short of an impossible standard. TRANSCEND.

Let's also not forget Jordan retired again and at 39 and 40 after taking 3 years off, scored 22.9 and 20.0 a game for the wizards. I'm sorry but that's just insane and that alone is more impressive than most people's careers.

If anyone's truly interested in learning why Lebron will end up better than Jordan, when it's all said and done, read this:

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9109245/how-lebron-james-transformed-game-become-highly-efficient-scoring-machine

This article will change the way you think about Lebron James.

I think that everyone comparing Jordan to James on the basis of stats are missing something intangible that makes Jordan such a legend.

I am willing to admit that James may have better all around basketball skills than any other player, but he does not seem to have Jordan's desire to take charge and will his team to win. Although Jordan made his teammates play better, there was never a question about who was in charge.

Look what happened in '94 when Jordan temporarily retired: Pippen refuses to play the last 2 seconds of a playoff game against the Knicks because of conflict between Pippen and Kukoc and the Bulls ultimately did not repeat as champions. That scenario would have never occurred with Jordan around because he was the undisputed leader and he always wanted to be the man while James seems more willing to share the spotlight.

Lebron may be a better person and a nicer guy but he does not seem to have the desire to be completely in charge of his team and will it to win through his force of personality.

The other intangible aspect is Jordan was just a mesmerizing player - as kartelite describes. He was the one guy on the court you wanted to watch no matter where he was.

I think history may very well judge LeBron as the most skilled all-around player of all time, but that will not diminish Jordan's legend in any way.

See, this is what all Jordan fans do. They say things like "it factor", "mesmerizing", "desire", "intangibles." All those words mean nothing, and what you're describing is easily attributed to nostalgia and fantastic world-class Nike Marketing.

James Naismith, Jr. wrote:

I'm sick of all this Jordan revisionism. He didn't win a title till he was 28 years old. LeBron was 27. LeBron wasn't able to go to NBA Training Camp (NCAA) for 3 years. He had to be The Man straight out of High School.

Yeah, Lebron "had to" go straight to the NBA out of high school. Poor kid.

If anything the comparison should be of the two MJs. Not MJ and LeBron.

He didn't "have to" obviously, but the pressure on him immediately out of high school to prove himself in the NBA was immense. Jordan did not have that pressure at such a young age. When most LetsRunners were 18 they were still wearing half tights underneath their shorts.