Currently, there is a controversial debate among basketball players and fans about who should be crowned the best player, particularly between Lebron James and Michael Jordan. The debate was enhanced in 2016 when James declared himself the greatest basketball player in human history, particularly after he greatly assisted Cleveland Cavaliers to win the 2016 NBA final, which was highly competitive. James successfully made Cavaliers to win three straight games, which had never occurred in the history of basketball. As a result, he was justified in declaring himself the greatest basketball player. However, his declaration was never embraced by Jordan fans who believe that he will remain to be the best basketball player even after exiting the game. Some people still regard Jordan as the greatest of all times in the history of basketball. Nonetheless, despite the controversial and divisive debate, the available statistical and non-statistical evidence prove that James is better than Jordan in many ways.
The question on who is the best basketball player was easy to answer about 20 years ago when Jordan made his first appearance in the basketball court (Pelton, 2018). It was not easy to convince the world, especially basketball fans that Jordan was not the best player. Nevertheless, the belief that Jordan was the best basketball player changed when Lebron James entered the scene. James' skills and ability to play basketball made him the undisputed challenger of what Jordan had achieved in his career as a basketball player. James has recorded immense success that cannot be matched by what Jordan had accomplished, even the latter made a significant contribution in the game.
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The latest statistics show that no basketball player is comparable to James. In the 2017/2018 NBA season that took place when James was 33 years old, he successfully played 82 games, and his achievements amazed many people. James was able to earn a mind-boggling 27.5 points, which had never been achieved by any player (Beer, 2018). At the same time, his average points in assists and rebounds in the same season were 9.1 and 8.6 respectively. Amazingly, James’s shooting from the floor was rated at 54.2% while his made and steals were 1.8 and 1.4 points respectively (Beer, 2018). Thus, as late as 2018, James proved his claim that he is the best and the greatest basketball player in history. The 2017/2018 season proved that the success of James in the game is still growing despite his age. On the other hand, Jordan never reached the level of James, especially based on the season's performance. Jordan never had an average of 8.0 assists and 8.0 rebounds in his history as a basketball player. Besides, Jordan's average shot from the floor never averaged more than 54% (Beer, 2018). James proved in 2018 that he is better than Jordan. James’ skills and ability went a notch higher in 2018 during the playoffs.
James also proved in the 2016 NBA final that he is the best basketball player when he made it made Cleveland have a comeback that was never expected. James was rated as the only player to lead both teams, especially based on points, rebounds, and blocks. According to NBA history, James is the only player who has ever earned 30,000 points and 8,000 assists (Leight, 2018). At the same time, he is the only basketball player to make 8,000 in the history of NBA (Leight, 2018). Thus, even based on statistics by NBA, James is still above Jordan regarding scores and points, making him the best player.
Unlike Jordan, James is playing in the time when stiff competition and superior teams characterize basketball. Jordan never encountered talent as well as athleticism that James is currently facing. James is facing that rated as four All-Stars that are highly competitive and not easy to challenge and dominate. Basketball teams such as Miami Heat have highly skilled players, making the current basketball challenging (Leight, 2018). On the contrary, Jordan was playing with weak teams and players who were not highly skilled. The teams that Jordan faced never had more than two All-Star players, as in the case of James. A lot of the teams that Jordan was facing had only one All-Star players. James is now forced to face All-Star players like Kevin Love and Kyle Korver who are recognized for their three-point ability (Leight, 2018). Also, exemplary players like Stephen Curry who is known to be the greatest shooter are not easy to challenge. The success of a player is determined by the kind of rival he faces, including the abilities of the teams (Markovits, 2018). Jordan was able to shine because he faced weak competition. James is facing stiff competition, yet he is still able to dominate many basketball games.
At the same time, contrary to the period when Jordan was playing, many basketball athletes are now larger, stronger, and faster due to improved training and nutrition. Athletes are now spending a lot of money to maintain their body and physical fitness, improving the intensity of the game. For instance, to compete with All-Star players, James is forced to spend about $1.5 million every year to maintain his body, an indication that physical fitness had improved significantly when compared to the times when Jordan was playing (Leight, 2018). Besides, the success of Jordan was attributed mainly to the NBA’s decision to increase the number of teams. For instance, between 1988 and 1989, NBA decided to increase the number of teams by four. Some of the teams that joined the league during that period included Magic Team, Heat, and Hornets, weakening the degree of competition in the field. The decision to expand the number of teams diluted the talent pool of basketball players. As a result, Jordan could play the majority of his games against weaker teams, which gave him the opportunity to showcase his talents and abilities (Lynch, 2017). At the same time, Jordan’s teams took advantage of this opportunity to win many games, especially between 1990 and 1993. However, currently, many teams have highly skilled players, making it challenging for exemplary players like James to shine and dominate the game.
Also, the quality of the basketball has changed substantially. The physical defense was common during Jordan’s days. At the same time, although hand-checking was technically banned, it could still be practiced by some players (Pelton, 2018). Hence, because of the physical nature of the game, Jordan was able to use his unique skills to outperform his colleagues while at the same time dominating the game. Nevertheless, the quality of play has improved, and players now use skills and minds outwit their fellows. James, therefore, can play a more quality game basketball than Jordan. The quality of the game is also an important factor that should be considered when rating players.
However, despite the superiority of James, some sports analysts still maintain that Jordan was the best basketball player. The argument is mainly based on the notion that a significant advancement in technology and training now gives players like James the opportunity to acquire unique skills, which was not possible during Jordan’s era (Brad, 2018). Besides, Jordan was a far superior defender when compared to James. Jordan was crowned the 1988 Defender of the year, even though it was not difficult to win a game during that time (Matt, 2018). Jordan was able to show excellent defensive skills in almost all NBA finals he played. On the contrary, James can give his opponents the opportunity to increase their scores because of his poor defense tactics. Also, Jordan could be trusted to close the games in both playoffs and NBA finals successfully. Therefore, Jordan was a better player than James (Matt, 2018). Nonetheless, the argument that Jordan was the best player cannot be supported by tangible and valid evidence. In contrast, James records are readily available for analysts to evaluate.
In conclusion, based on the statistical and non-statistical evidence, Lebron James will become the best basketball player of all times by the time he retires. His achievements are not comparable to that of other legend players like Jordan. His basketball skills and abilities have made him the best player, especially regarding scores and winning power. Even though basketball game has become highly competitive, James still shines, and he will continue to dominate the game until he retires. The successes of Jordan are great, but they are not comparable to those of Lebron James.
References
Beer, T. (2018, August 31). These Statistics Suggest LeBron James is on his way to becoming the Greatest Basketball player ever. Forbes . Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2018/08/31/these-statistics-suggest-lebron-James-is-on-his-way-to-becoming-the-greatest-basketball-player-ever/#4037db8b48eb
Brad, S. (2018, May 27). The Forgotten Fact that Proves Michael Jordan is Better Than LeBron James. Fadeaway World . Retrieved from https://fadeawayworld.net/2018/05/27/the-forgotten-fact-that-proves-michael-jordan-is-better-than-lebron-james/
Leight, S. (2018, May 31). 5 Reasons LeBron James is the Greatest of All-Time. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/leighsteinberg/2018/05/31/5-reasons-why-lebron-is-the-greatest-of-all-time/#696f0dc0522b
Lynch, A. (2017, May 31). Here’s why LeBron James is the best NBA player of all time but not the greatest. FoxSports. Retrieved from https://www.foxsports.com/nba/gallery/lebron-james-michael-jordan-greatest-best-all-time-nba-finals-053117
Markovits, B. (2018, June 14). There has never been a basketball player like LeBron James. Prospect Magazine . Retrieved from https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/life/there-has-never-been-a- basketball-player-like-LeBron-James
Matt, A. (2018, February 1). 17 Reasons Why Michael Jordan is Greater than LeBron James. Retrieved from https://thegruelingtruth.net/basketball/17-reasons-michael-jordan-greater- LeBron-James/
Pelton, K. (2018, May 10). LeBron or MJ? How the King is settling the GOAT debate. ESPN. Retrieved from http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23456720/is-lebron-james-michael-jordan-greatest-nba-player-all
