"Michael Jordan Is Better Than LeBron James" Talking Points

As I make my final decision, which will come on or before May 10, I am reading a LOT of hate on LeBron James and on Michael Jordan on Twitter regarding who is the better guy and how the other guy just completely sucks.


Look, these guys are my ##1 and 2 players of all-time.  Obviously neither man "sucks" as a basketball player.  And it obviously is a very close race between the two for who is the "best player of all-time".  With that said, let me provide Michael fans with 10 legitimate "Talking Points" for their argument, and I will (in a separate post) also provide 10 "Talking Points" for LeBron fans.


First, good ways to argue Michael Jordan is better:


1) He has 6 titles.  LeBron has 3.  If the point of playing the game is to win (which, it is a competitive sport, so shouldn't that be the entire point of the exercise?) then, if we assume all other things are equal, shouldn't the easiest tiebreaker be who won more?  LeBron fans have to establish NOT that he is as good as Jordan, but, rather, that he is so substantially better that we can ignore this discrepancy.


Pretty simple argument.


2) Jordan has been the more consistent regular season player, by quite a bit.  If you review the total Win Shares per season for each man, you will see that a typical Jordan season is around 1-1.5 WS better than a typical LeBron season.  On a per 48 basis, James is about a 5% worse player in the regular season.


3) Jordan was recognized as first-team all-defense 9X to LeBron's 5.  Jordan won Defensive Player of the Year, LeBron was only a runner up.

4) Jordan was a better and more consistent scorer.  Jordan led the league in PPG 10X versus LeBron's 1X.

5) Jordan, while a high Usage player, played in a system where the ball stuck less in his hands.  James' teams have tended to revert to a "23 Stand" halfcourt offense where LeBron holds the ball for 23 seconds and tries to do something at the way end of the clock.  Jordan was not only a better scorer, but his game was prettier.

6) Jordan didn't constantly run around trying to find better teammates to help him win.  He stayed in Chicago, gutted it out, and eventually won his 6 titles.

7) Jordan was a better free throw shooter.  He shot .835 to James' .739.  In an important situation, sending a guy to the line who shoots 10% higher is a great advantage,

8) Jordan was a more single-minded player.  James is more of an entertainer, and he has a tendency during the regular season to play just well enough to win.  Jordan played with a level of hatred and intensity 82 games a year that no one has ever matched.  Jordan took a regular season loss as a personal affront.  James appears to be the more well-adjusted person (and has certainly been a more vocal advocate for social justice, for example), but that also makes him a touch easier to play against in a meaningless February game in Sacramento than was Jordan.

9) Jordan was always, 100% of the time, the Finals MVP in any series he played in.  While James has three, and one could argue he probably deserved 4 for the losing 2015 Finals effort, there is no denying that Jordan, every time he had a chance to win, was the best player and was recognized as such.  In this regard, the 2007 and 2011 Finals are a black mark against James, who really did not play particularly great in either series.

10) Jordan left the game, sat 1.75 years, and when he returned, within 18 months he made his team 30 wins better.  Jordan and James both have VORP seasons around 12 for VORP.  Supposedly, if you have a 12 VORP, that means 32.4 wins for your team (VORP X 2.7 = wins you contribute).  Jordan LITERALLY demonstrated that without him the Bulls in 1995 were headed for a .500 season and with him 2 years later they were 72-10.  That is a 31 win improvement.  No other player has conducted an experiment of that sort.  It is an unbelievable tribute to Jordan.


There, those are 10 Talking Points for you.