LeBron vs. Jordan

Thank you for accepting. I'll get right into the argument. Michael Jordan is a better basketball player and a better embodiment of the sport of basketball in general than LeBron James. Here's why: 1) Pure Statistics: Season MVP LeBron James 4 Michael Jordan 5 Finals MVP LeBron James 2 Michael Jordan 6 All-NBA First Team LeBron James 7 Michael Jordan 10 All-NBA Teams LeBron James 9 Michael Jordan 11 All-Defensive First Team LeBron James 5 Michael Jordan 9 All-Defensive Teams LeBron James 5 Michael Jordan 9 Defensive Player of The Year LeBron James 0 Michael Jordan 1 Scoring Leader LeBron James 1 Michael Jordan 10 Steals Leader LeBron James 0 Michael Jordan 3 Points Per Game LeBron James 27.5 Michael Jordan 30.1 Steals Per Game LeBron James 1.7 Michael Jordan 2.3 Total Points LeBron James 23,170 Michael Jordan 32,292 Total Rebounds LeBron James 6,086 Michael Jordan 6,672 Total Steals LeBron James 1,444 Michael Jordan 2,514 Total Blocks LeBron James 675 Michael Jordan 893 [1] 2) Championships LeBron James has reached 4 NBA Finals competitions. He has won two NBA championships, but also lost to the San Antonio Spurs in 2007 and the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. Michael Jordan has NEVER LOST in the NBA finals. Every single Finals he has been to, his team won the NBA championship. Michael Jordan holds 6 rings to LeBron's two rings as well. LeBron's rings have only come after he joined forces with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. The rings Jordan won are a testament to his ability to carry a team. 3) Jordan is not only an icon of basketball, he is THE icon of basketball. Say what you want about LeBron's athleticism, he means nowhere near as much to the game of basketball as Michael Jordan. LeBron's signature line of Nike shoes generated a respectable $300 million in 2012 [2]. LeBron made around $39 million from endorsements in 2013 [3]. Those seem like very good numbers, until you look at Jordan. Jordan brand generated a whopping $2 billion in revenue in 2012, and he received around $80 million in endorsements. This comes from the guy who no longer even plays basketball. His image dominates LeBron's. Another example of this is rookie cards. An expensive LeBron James rookie card sells for around $7000 [4]. A Michael Jordan rookie recently sold for $100,000 [5]. But the biggest testament to Jordan's legacy comes from LeBron himself. Originally, James wore number 23 in honor of Michael Jordan. But then he changed it. Why? '"I just think what Michael Jordan has done for the game has to be recognized some way soon," said James, who has worn 23 since he was a high school sophomore. "There would be no LeBron James, no Kobe Bryant, no Dwyane Wade if there wasn't Michael Jordan first" [6]. In other words, LeBron himself claims that without Jordan, he wouldn't be the player he is. Jordan has tremendous influence over basketball, more than LeBron does or ever will. 4) Everybody says Jordan is better than LeBron. In a poll of NBA execs, a whopping 36 out of 42 said that Jordan was a better player than LeBron is now [7]. Why? A Western Conference coach said: "MJ was a killer. I do not see that in LeBron. Kobe in his prime was the closest to MJ. MJ had the killer instinct as well as the talent.' Therefore, it takes more than athleticism or size to be the best. It takes drive. It takes instinct. And that is why Jordan was the best. Therefore, taken into consideration, Jordan is overall a better player and a better influence on basketball, and should obviously be considered the greatest player of all time. [1] http://www.landofbasketball.com... [2] http://www.kicksonfire.com... [3] http://money.cnn.com... [4] http://gmagrading.com... [5]http://www.beckett.com... [6] http://sports.espn.go.com... [7] http://www.therxforum.com...