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Michael Jordan and LeBron James have often been considered two of the greatest players in the game of basketball. If fans are ever asked their opinion of who they believe is the best, odds are the answer will feature either Jordan or James.
Tuesday night added another interesting wrinkle to comparing the two legends. LA Lakers forward LeBron James broke the NBA's all-time scoring record. The record had been held by Hall of Fame big man Kareem Abdul-Jabbar since 1984.
On "First Take," when analyst Stephen A. Smith was asked if he believes that LeBron is the greatest scorer in NBA history, he said no.
"The greatest scorer ever was Michael Jordan."
Smith said that he believes that LeBron James is one of the greatest "all-around players" in basketball but then he focused on just how dangerous of an offensive weapon Jordan was.
"He (LeBron) is the greatest all-around player," Smith said. "But when you talk about an assassain, a scorer ... No, that's going to be Michael Jordan. It's been that way and it's going to stay that way."
Stephen A. Smith praises Michael Jordan as the greatest scorer ever
The comments made by Stephen A. Smith are sure to draw up a stir. Especially when it comes to passionate fans who compare LeBron James to Michael Jordan.
But Smith does bring up some interesting points. LeBron James has been one of the most spectacular talents to come through the NBA. With his combination of size, power and versatility, there's an argument to be made that James could be one of the best all-around players.
When it comes to Jordan, his ability on both sides of the floor was outstanding as well. What made Jordan so dangerous was his ability to score in so many different ways. The legendary Chicago Bulls shooting guard averaged 31.5 points per game and led the league in scoring 10 times in that span (and 10 of the 11 seasons in which he played enough games to qualify for the mark).
All of that came in an era when defenses were considerably more stingy than they are today.
Throughout his 15-year career, Jordan never averaged less than 20.0 ppg. He finished his career averaging an NBA record 30.1 ppg along with 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game. He was also once the Defensive Player of the Year, made the All-Defensive team nine times and led the league in steals three times.
