I saw a headline about an article online comparing these two guys. I know very little about basketball, so here is my question: What position (i.e., center, forward, shooting guard) did/do these two guys play, and what are the main differences between those positions? What is/were the main strengths each of them had/have as players?
Moved to the Game Room.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
MJ: Shooting Guard
LBJ: Small Forward, but really he can and has played every position.
LeBron has a significant size advantage over Jordan and, in my opinion, is probably the more skilled basketball player. LeBron is a dominant force and can impose his will on almost any opponent. Michael had more finesse, but did also play physical. LeBron is a better rebounder and ball distributer. Michael’s intangibles were second to none, particularly his competitiveness and leadership.
So, who’s better? LeBron has more physical talent but if I could choose which guy I want on my team, Michael would get the edge.
That’s the quick and dirty version of my own personal opinion.
Well, yes, though Jordan just turned 55, so that plays a part. 
More seriously, though I’m not hugely into basketball, from what I’ve seen, I think your assessment is pretty good.
In my eyes, definitely Michael over Lebron, though Lebron is the true heir apparent. I think Michael takes it to the hoop better and is an all around better player. He seems more clutch, but that could be a product of endorsements and fond memories. Definitely a better leader, and I would say better defensive player. Since my early days in junior league, older people and their fathers have been clamoring how people don’t play real defense anymore. Arguably, Michael’s day truly had tough D; but, he just got through it, making himself look un-guardable. One thing about Lebron though, he seems to able to take a bunch of randoms and make them into a competitive (though not necessarily a winning) team.
I’m really surprised to see James labeled the more skilled player. I remember the 1990s pretty well, and everyone talked about Jordan like he was GOD. No, not that, GOD!
Recency bias.
- LeBron is 3-5 in the finals. Jordan was 6-0.
- LeBron had to go team up with two other all stars to win his first championship, then only came back to Cleveland to play with number one pick and current top player Kyrie Irving. Jordan won everything for the team that drafted him. Jordan would never have tried to team up with say Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing because he needed to beat the best, joining them to win would not have satisfied his famed need to beat everyone else.
- As mentioned, defense in the NBA is not what it was in Jordan’s era. Can you imagine if a team played LeBron the way the old late 80’s early 90’s Detroit bad boys team played? Jordan excelled in the face of that defense. Now you can’t hand check, and almost everyone can shoot threes, so double teams are harder. There also aren’t as many big defensive stoppers since the typical post up/defensive center is pretty much an extinct thing in the modern NBA.
- Jordan never disappeared in a finals game. LeBron has disappeared in an entire finals series (Vs. Mavericks in his first finals with Miami).
LeBron is a great player. No doubt about that. But he is not in the same league as Michael Jordan. No contest.
If you are truly “the greatest”, then you FINISH. You find a way to get the job done. Michael was 6-0 in the NBA Finals. Take away the two years he played baseball, and he had a 6-Peat. LeBron, despite his carpet bagging ways and endless efforts to be on super teams, is 3-5 in the NBA Finals.
Snipping mine.
This is the greatest difference between the two. One of the few issues I have with LeBron’s game is his inability to take any contact, let alone a foul.
Jordan would fight through the foul, get the basket, nail the foul shot (if it even got called), then smile and point while jogging back to lock down his man on the other end.
James would still be lying on the court as everyone watches the replay of him not getting touched.
Exactly. Jordan never flopped shamelessly the way LeBron does all the time. It reminds me of soccer players taking dives and pretending to be horribly injured when the replay shows that there was never any actual contact. Especially embarrassing for a guy as big and strong as he is.
Sounds like what some of you are saying is LeBron is soft. And I don’t disagree. But imagine if he had Jordan’s competitive nature. Imagine if he had that killer instinct. Now and again that switch turns on for LeBron and when it does, he cannot be stopped. I think LeBron could legitimately take it to the rack and score every single time he touched the ball if he so desired. Does he flop? Yes. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t finish at the rim. I think he’s actually pretty good at finishing after contact.
LeBron and Michael are both extremely rare basketball talents.
Sure they’re both rare basketball talents. But look at what you just said. Why didn’t LeBron “turn it on” in the finals vs Dallas? That’s the difference. Jordan never turned it off, because he didn’t have an off switch. You can’t disappear for an entire finals series and still claim to be the greatest of all time.
For what it’s worth, take a look at portions of their trophy cases (Jordan played for 15 seasons, including the two he played in Washington, after being retired for 3 years; James is in his 15th season now):
Jordan
- 10 scoring titles
- 9 All-Defense teams
- 5 MVP awards
- 1 Defensive Player of the Year award
James
- 1 scoring title
- 6 All-Defense teams
- 4 MVP awards
Don’t forget 6 finals MVP trophies for Jordan.
LeBron has 3.
Of course its easier to win Finals MVP if you actually win the championship.
It seems like ever since MJ retired, there is a need by fans to have a new G.O.A.T. (which imo is a terrible acronym) Jordan’s era was different. As has been mentioned, the thought of MJ resting up at the end of a season- by sitting out games- to be better prepared for the playoffs is unthinkable. Today it is common.
Give me MJ any day, until there is an obvious successor, the need for a new G.O.A.T. is silly.
With his contemporaries Bird and Magic also solid candidates for GOAT…
Agree 100%. MJ never turned it off, and that’s why I gave him the edge in my first post in this thread. I think part of LeBron’s problem with sometimes not turning it on is he is as interested in making friends as he is in dominating basketball games. That’s probably overstating it, but MJ couldn’t care less if he had friends in the league. In fact, most players probably thought he was a asshole. But that’s what made him such a fierce competitor.
I still contend that LeBron could lead the league in scoring every year if he wanted to. I’d also note that there were years where the NBA’s MVP seemed to be consciously awarded based on “we can’t just give it to LeBron again, can we?” Looking at the Derrick Rose MVP here.
They did that with the MVP back in Jordan’s day too coughKarl MalonecoughCharles Barkley
That’s an excellent point about Jordan. His competitive streak was (and likely still is) enormous, and not just on the basketball court – any game, any competition, and he was in it to win it.
I suspect that’s a big part of the reason why he came back out of retirement to play with the Wizards – his competitive nature made him restless.
As an aside, I’ve never been very clear on the distinctions between the different positions in basketball. What does a forward do that a point guard doesn’t? What’s the difference between either of them and a center? On the court, it always looks (to me, anyway) like all five guys are doing the same things.