People: Michael Jordan is no longer the greatest basketball of all time. People tend to have a bias towards previous athletes in all sports, meaning it takes a lot for a player to become the new GOAT. However, it is time to accept that LeBron James is now the greatest basketball player ever. Let's look at some stats to back that up.
At 108.6, LeBron has a higher Value Over Replacement Player Rating than MJ did (104.4). In other words, LeBron being replaced by a different player would impact his team more than if MJ was replaced. While not perfect, VORP is a solid indicator of a player's value to his team, and LeBron ranks higher here.
LeBron has led his teams to seven finals while Jordan got to six. Yes, Jordan won all six and LeBron so far has only won three. However, look at their teammates and teams they had to play against: In 1991, MJ's Bulls played Magic's Lakers. I'll give that one to Jordan: the Lakers were another dynasty. However, other than that, Jordan faced less competition. He did have to go up against tough Jazz teams, but that doesn't compare to who LeBron has faced. LeBron lost his first finals to the Spurs in 2007. The Spurs are the longest-running dynasty in basketball. More importantly, however, James had no good teammates that year. The second best player on that team was probably Larry Hughes. Yeah, I don't really know who that is either. LeBron's loss to Dallas in 2011 is a bit harder to explain, but his loss three years later (after two victories) once again came against the Spurs, the best coached team of all time. Back in Cleveland, he lost to the Warriors with Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and so on. He then BEAT THE BEST REGULAR SEASON TEAM OF ALL TIME AFTER BEING DOWN 3-1. Overall, LeBron has faced stiffer competition in the finals than Jordan did. And while LeBron has had the help of Dwayne Wade, Ray Allen, Chris Bosh, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love, MJ had Pippen and Dennis Rodman, two of the best defenders ever. Also, the playoffs are more than just the finals. LeBron James has never lost a first-round series. Jordan lost three.
Now let's look at what happened to the Bulls, Cavaliers, and Heat after Jordan or LeBron left. After MJ left the Bulls to play baseball, the Bulls won 55 games and lost in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. When LeBron left the Cavaliers to take his talents to South Beach, the Cavaliers went on to finish 19-63. After he returned to Cleveland, the Heat went 37-45. In short, the Bulls were still a good team without Jordan. The Cavaliers and Heat, however, were not.
Stats are less convincing, as Jordan and LeBron are nearly equal in almost every statistical category. However, LeBron edges Jordan in career field goal %, 3-point field goal %, rebounds per game, and assists per game.
Don't forget that LeBron is taking his team to his 7th straight finals. He has played one less year than Jordan, and he has already gotten to one more finals. It is time to stop assuming that Jordan will always be the best player ever. LeBron James is. Not Jordan, not Kareem, not Kobe, not Magic, LeBron. Accept it.
