ESPN’s documentary series “The Last Dance” showed a generation of young NBA fans just how great Michael Jordan was. For those who witnessed Jordan’s brilliance, it reinforced the belief that he was the greatest player to ever play in the NBA.
Of course, the emergence of LeBron James shakes the argument that MJ is the GOAT. Many people believe that James’s extraordinary persistence and persistence make him worthy of becoming the GOAT, especially when the LA Lakers star just became the first player to reach the 40,000 point mark.
Join Sporting News to take a look at the important statistics of these two stars, and who has the more impressive stats.
(All statistics current as of March 3, 2024)
Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: Statistics in Regular season
Based on match-by-match statistics, Jordan is superior in scoring, but James is better in rebounds and assists. Both are excellent wing defenders, Jordan led the entire league in steals three times, while James never topped this stat.
But in terms of playing time, James clearly has the upper hand. The gap between the two will become longer and longer, because James is still healthy and shows no signs of slowing down at the age of 39.
| Jordan | Every match | LeBron |
| 30.1 | Point | 27.1 |
| 6.2 | Rebounds | 7.5 |
| 5.3 | Assist | 7.4 |
| 2.3 | Steals | 1.5 |
| 0.8 | Blocks | 0.8 |
| 2.7 | Turnovers | 3.5 |
| 38.3 | Minutes of competition | 38.0 |
| 49.7% | Finishing rate | 50.5% |
| 32.7% | 3-point shooting percentage | 34.7% |
| 83.5% | Free throw percentage | 73.5% |
| Jordan | total | LeBron |
| 1,072 | Match | 1,474 |
| 32,292 | Point | 40,017 |
| 6,672 | Rebounds | 11,046 |
| 5,633 | Assist | 10,847 |
| 2,514 | Steals | 2,255 |
| 893 | Blocks | 1,106 |
| 2,924 | Turnovers | 5,140 |
| 41,011 | Minutes of competition | 55,987 |
Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: Advanced statistics in Regular season
VORP and Win Shares favor James, but PER and Box Plus/Minus favor Jordan.
| Jordan | Advanced | LeBron |
| 27.9 | Player Efficiency Rating | 27.1 |
| 116.1 | Value Over Replacement | 150.4 |
| 9.2 | Box Plus/Minus | 8.7 |
| 214.0 | Win Shares | 260.8 |
| 56.9 | True Shooting % | 58.9 |
| 33.3 | Usage % | 31.6 |
Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: Playoff statistics
There is not much difference compared to the regular season, when Jordan excels in scoring, while James is better at rebounds and assists.
Although James has continuously changed himself, from a player who specializes in hitting close to the basket and relying heavily on physical strength, becoming a smarter player and clearly improving his 3-point shooting ability. However, the truth is that his three-point shooting rate is not too superior to Jordan’s in the Playoffs.
| Jordan | Every match | LeBron |
| 33.4 | Point | 28.5 |
| 6.4 | Rebounds | 9.0 |
| 5.7 | Assist | 7.2 |
| 2.1 | Steals | 1.7 |
| 0.9 | Blocks | 1.0 |
| 3.1 | Turnovers | 3.6 |
| 41.8 | Minutes of competition | 41.3 |
| 48.7 | Finishing rate | 49.5 |
| 33.2 | 3-point shooting percentage | 33.1 |
| 82.8 | Free throw percentage | 74.1 |
| Jordan | total | LeBron |
| 179 | Match | 282 |
| 5,987 | Point | 8,023 |
| 1,152 | Rebounds | 2,549 |
| 1,022 | Assist | 2,023 |
| 376 | Steals | 471 |
| 158 | Blocks | 270 |
| 546 | Turnovers | 1,015 |
| 7,474 | Minutes of competition | 11,654 |
Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: Advanced Playoff Statistics
Jordan is the leader in PER and Box Plus/Minus in the Playoffs, while James is the leader in VORP and Win Shares.
| Jordan | Advanced | LeBron |
| 28.6 | Player Efficiency Rating | 27.9 |
| 24.7 | Value Over Replacement | 35.4 |
| 11.1 | Box Plus/Minus | 10.0 |
| 39.8 | Win Shares | 57.9 |
| 56.8 | True Shooting % | 58.3 |
| 35.6 | Usage % | 31.8 |
Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: Titles and awards
Michael Jordan is famous for his 6-0 record in the NBA Finals and never needed game 7 to end the series.
Meanwhile, James has a 4-6 record in 10 NBA Finals appearances, but consecutively reaching the finals with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat is still an achievement that cannot be underestimated.
| Jordan | Achievements | LeBron |
| 6 | Champion | 4 |
| 5 | MVPs | 4 |
| 6 | Finals MVPs | 4 |
| 11 | All-NBA | 19 |
| 9 | All-Defense | 6 |
| 14 | All-Star | 20 |
| ten | Scoring titles | first |
