LeBron James vs Michael Jordan: An Evergreen Contest

Of all the weapons he houses in his basketball arsenal, LeBron James used a left-handed layup in the second quarter against the Nuggets to get his total points tally to 32,293. That bucket took him one-point clear of Michael Jordan's career stack of points scored, bagging the kid from Akron a coveted 4th spot on NBA's All-Time Scoring list.

The moment @KingJames passed MJ on the All-Time Scoring List! 👑 pic.twitter.com/74wplNvUX2

— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 7, 2019

What the above accomplishment did in more ways than one is that it added more fuel to the eternal dispute between the two opposing clans. Now that LeBron is the only player in the history of the game to be top 10 all-time in assists and points scored, the stats are tipping in his favor.

Fair to say, the King has a couple more years of basketball left in him at the very least. He can easily tick every box that remains en route to becoming the greatest in all statistical aspects of the game as we see it. However, the upcoming slides will shed more light on the very realization that the Jordan vs LeBron discussion is more complicated than it appears.

As the current climate demands re-introduction to this touchy GOAT debate, let's get to it without further ado.

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#1 Why is this comparison a never-ending debate?

LeBron is the present and that gives him a slight edge.

Let's take Shaun Powell's article to get their individual accomplishments out of the way first,

LeBron's list of honors: Twelve-time All-NBA first team. three Finals MVPs, three NBA titles (one in Cleveland, which should count double), four Kia MVPs, nine Finals trips in 15 seasons (including eight straight), 15 All-Star Games and five All-Defensive first team honors.

Jordan's list of honors: Six NBA titles (while going six-for-six in The Finals), six Finals MVPs, five regular-season MVPs, 10 All-NBA first teams, 10 scoring titles, 14 All-Star Games, nine All-Defensive first team honors and one Defensive Player of the Year Award.

Now that we have made zero progress, let's bear in mind also that they played in fairly different eras, possessed different styles and were kept in check by different sets of rules.

However, the phenomenon of accepting something that's flourishing right before our eyes (and resembles greatness at a high level) over something that has left an indelible mark a while back gives LeBron a minute edge over MJ.

But then again, Jordan is arguably the most efficient winner in the history of sports, let alone just NBA.

#2 How they match up against each other in the playoffs!

Michael Jordan won six NBA championships.

For a majority of Jordan fans, even having a postseason comparison with LeBron would be an insult, to begin with.

According to Marcus Hartman of Dayton Daily News,

Jordan was placed atop the mountain because of his dominance of the league both individually and through his team. He became No. 1 not just because he had great stats but also because he was 6-0 in the Finals. That’s why 6-0 in the Finals remains the measuring stick and always will be.

And sadly, James can never be 6-0 in the Finals now. Too late for that.

However, LeBron leads the league in points scored in the playoffs - and leads Jordan by an astronomical margin for that matter. But that's what the King is all about. He has shattered the records over and over again, in every possible category he could find, and in the process, left MJ behind in terms of individual numbers.

However, six championships tend to outweigh any personal accomplishments and so they shall.

#3 Players that are often overlooked in this duel of sorts

Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain gave birth to the classic Celtics-Lakers rivalry.

Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain averaged 50 points per game for a full season and recorded the only 100-point game ever in NBA's history. It can heavily be argued that his length and athleticism would fit well in modern-day basketball as well.

Another great talent worthy of an honorable mention might be Oscar Robertson - the walking, talking triple-double of the vintage era, someone Westbrook so dearly chases on a daily basis.

There have always been better rebounders, passers, and scorers in the game since time immemorial, but the approach-to-approach conflict in the name of who's better between Michael or James rests on the fact that they are both complete packages.

Sure they are not the 'best' players to have played the game, but the term 'greatest' will always oscillate between the couple for numerous reasons.