Michael Jordan just turned 50. Whenever a sports legend reaches an age divisible by 10 it seems like most sports writers are required to compare him to some current phenom. However, has the current case of Jordan vs. Lebron ever been more relevant? It seems that quite a few NBA fans and reporters want desperately for Lebron to surpass his airness and usher in an era of basketball supremacy, to rule over the courts of the world with an unrelenting, merciless iron jump shot. Perhaps it’s simply a case of whatever’s current is the best and everything that came before it is simply outdated and doesn’t compare. Methinks this is what is happening, honestly it’s ESPN’s entire business plan. Then there’s also the risk of running full speed ahead into the older-legend-is-always-better trap. If that’s the case then what is poor Lebron to do? Bite his lip and suck it up, that’s what, because deep down he knows that he’s the Tinman compared to Jordan and his ruthless heart and drive.
Let’s begin with the popular notion that all things being equal skill wise, Lebron is bigger so he wins. Both were and are absolute physical freaks, hands down the best athletes of their respective generations. Keep in mind though they play different positions, Jordan was a shooting guard, and Lebron is a small/power forward. The debate is who is the better player not who would have the greater advantage in a game of one on one. If it ever did come down to Jordan in his prime vs. Lebron in a fantasy game of one on one, my money is on the man with Gatorade coursing through his veins. One on one can be very physically and mentally draining and if we’re comparing the mental strengths of these two titans of basketball, Lebron goes home crying to Gloria and Delonte every time.
Lebron is taller and most likely stronger, this is fairly obvious, how will Jordan handle the physicality difference. Simple, Lebron is Superman, Jordan is Batman. The common comic logic is that Batman, a mortal man with no super powers will find a way (he is the master detective afterall) to defeat Superman. Superman, while nigh invincible, for all his strength and might can not match Batman’s cunning and will. Lebron could overpower Jordan up to the brink of Jordan’s basketball destruction but at some point he will show a weakness, one small flaw that no one else sees. This will be his demise. Jordan will not just exploit this flaw, he will punish Lebron for his very possession of it, he will humiliate him in the name of all those that have brought forth such a foolish comparison.
When it comes down to actual basketball skills the two are not as equal as most NBA fans seem to think. It’s not that the scales are particularly tipped in one player’s favor but rather that their respective specialties vary more than we think.
Jumpshot: Jordan’s jumpshot is so wet that Lebron will be gracing the next cover of Girls Gone Wild “Miami Wet T Shirt Contest, Platinum Crab Dribbler’s Edition.” Lebron may have stepped up his shooting game over the past few seasons, but he still has a tendency to become a bit of a chucker at times. The guy is a very good shooter but there’s just something about his shot that isn’t as smooth and pure as Jordan’s.
Ballhandling: It is impressive that a player the size of Lebron is able to dribble with such relative ease, but this isn’t a talent show, when it comes to breaking someone down off the dribble Jordan wins. Jordan would cross Lebron up so bad he would be asking him if he knew the answer to 13 down, a six letter word for player not as good as me. Too much of Lebron’s dribbling to the basket is based off of lowering his shoulder and trucking to the rim, something that usually is called offensive fouling.
Rebounding: Jordan is a great rebounding shooting guard but this is where Lebron feasts on him like a fat kid at Chuck E. Cheese. Lebron is 6 foot 10, that’s almost seven feet tall, that’s typical center height, not to mention that he jumps out of the building. Add in his muscular build, wide shoulders and overall mass and it’s gonna be a rough day on the glass for MJ.
Defense: This is where it gets interesting. Both players are terrific defenders, each being one of the best in the league during their respective tenures. There is, however, a split with Jordan being the better on the ball defender and Lebron being the better help defender. Jordan’s cruelty towards his opposition earns him the nod on the ball, but God help you if you think you have an open layup with Lebron chasing you down. To put it simply, these two make up perhaps the most deadly double team ever, Jordan and Lebron couldn’t score on Jordan and Lebron.
Passing: Lebron wins this one hands down because Jordan is not going to pass the ball unless you are John Paxson in the 1993 finals.
As you can see we’re pretty even. Skill for skill these guys are two of the best to ever do it. There are a few more things to keep in mind though. Unfortunately even the most uninfluenced observer is still clouded by both the hype and the teams surrounding these two. The Jordan hype was insane, the Lebron hype is down right embarrassing, I’m looking directly at you Kevin “Lebron James with no regard for human life” Harlan. It’s pretty safe to say that both of these player’s egos are so huge that they are capable of supporting multiple orbiting moons, one of wich contains a microscopic hydrogen based life form yet to be discovered by man, but when it is whoah look out biology textbooks. Long story short, Jordan never teamed up with the two best free agents during the offseason and colluded to join forces. Jordan didn’t spend hours at night in his footy pajamas on the phone with Charles Barkley and Isaiah Thomas discussing girls that they liked and how awesome it would be if they played together. Jordan wanted to beat them, Lebron wanted to join them. When Lebron teamed up with Dirty Dwyane and the Boshasaurus he removed himself from greatest of all time discussion.
Then of course there’s the secret category where Jordan blows Lebron out of the water. I call it…
Heart/drive/will/spirit/toughmindedness/bloodlust/overallmeanness PER: Lebron desperately wants to be loved, he needs you to love him. He doesn’t understand why he’s the villian and he hates being it. Jordan did everything he possibly could to make you hate him, yet we all wanna be like Mike. This really cuts to the core of the two. When the president calls in to some alternate dimension battlefield and orders sniper Lebron to take that shot on Robo-Saddam, Lebron is the one that hesitates, the one that looks into those deep brown cybernetic optics and feels pity. Jordan is the one who, disgusted by his fellow soldier, picks up a crowbar and dispatches of Robo-Saddam freeing the People’s Republic of Greenland. When the chips are down and only one player is going to be the top dog, there’s no way Jordan allows it to not be him. Lebron would relish the opportunity to release the pressure of being the “Chosen One.” He wants the title, but if Jordan is in his way there’s no way he does what it takes to achieve it. When he quit on his team in the 2010 playoffs against the Celtics (and yes he did quit), I’ve never seen a player want out of a situation more. The stakes were raised and he folded.
So there you have it, undeniable proof that Jordan>Lebron. I have given you scientific, comic, and fantastical evidence that leaves no shadow of a doubt. To be honest, they are both magnificent players and any team is clearly blessed to have them. If we’re doing the all time draft that everyone loves to speculate on, Jordan goes before Lebron. As for if Jordan goes #1 well that’s a separate debate, there’s a few guys named Bill, Wilt, Oscar, Kareem, Larry, Magic and even Kobe (to a much lesser degree) that might have something to say about that.
