You can't watch a Cavaliers game these days without someone bringing up the Jordan/LeBron controversy. Lebron will average a triple-double in the month of March in his 15th season after not missing a single game all year, and a pretty staunch and populated group of people will stand firm that Michael Jordan is the greatest player of all-time. Sometimes there's that one weirdo who says it's Kobe, but they shouldn't be taken seriously. Anyone who knows me knows that I like stats, and when it comes to determining the GOAT, you need the GOAT of stats. TPA is likely the closest thing available that does the job.

For anyone unaware, like I was fifteen minutes ago, TPA stands for total points added. Its purpose is to put a value on exactly how many points a player brings and/or prevents when they are on the floor. It's recorded per 100 possessions, which also happens to be roughly the average number of possessions a team has during an NBA game. It combines both defensive prowess and offensive skill into one nice and simple number. It should go without saying that a player who adds ten points per 100 possessions is more valuable than a player that brings only five. These "points" account for made baskets, assists, defensive plays, turnovers, etc. Essentially, if a basket is scored by any team as a direct result of a specific player, that is recorded by TPA. Don't worry if you're still confused. All you need to know for the next part is that a higher TPA is better than a low TPA.

The graph above shows the TPA by season throughout the careers of Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant. Certain things about this graph stick out to me. First is the fact MJ has the highest and second highest single-season TPA of any of the three. Credit is given where credit is due. Second, this graph shows Kobe stuck around about three seasons too long. During his last years in LA, Kobe was a liability on the court. In fairness, that should be expected of anyone after 15+ NBA seasons. Well, not in LeBron's case.

LeBron is currently the league leader in TPA, a title he has claimed nine times in fifteen years. MJ has six TPA titles in fifteen years while Kobe had zero in twenty. On top of that, MJ and Kobe have TPA graphs that show a steady rise to a climax and a gradual decline, if you ignore MJ retiring twice. Lebron's chart, as you can see, seems to have hit a peak around age 24 and seems to be climbing to another peak at age 33. Somehow, someway, LeBron is getting BETTER as he gets older. But these stats wouldn't be fair if it didn't account for the fact LeBron is three years younger than MJ was in his fifteenth season. Below I have attached a chart that adjusts for that.

It should be noted that MJ broke his foot during his second season and missed 64 games, which is the reason his TPA is so low. This second chart, despite making the argument between MJ and LBJ closer, further proves how remarkable of a year LeBron is having. Nothing like his season this year has ever be done by a player this late in their career before. You are witnessing history.

Obviously, I have some bias towards LeBron, but I have little doubt in my mind that by the end of his career, despite maybe not winning as many titles as MJ, LeBron will be considered the Greatest of All Time by nearly everyone. Who knows? If the Cavaliers can pull some defense together in the playoffs and over next few seasons, LeBron might get a couple more rings. Anything to shut up the people who think that rings are the only thing that matters. They aren't, and I know you know it. Finally, anyone who still thinks Kobe is the best ever, don't talk to me.