LeBron is the best basketball player ever.

[dlunc3]

did anyone say he CANT be? thats not what the thread is about

i guess youre late to the party

is the thread about team success?

no, it is about the greatest ever to play the game.

NOONE has ever played the game better then lebron is right now. He is the ultimate player.

unfortunately legacy is what you are talking about, which is based on rings...

greatest player? lebron is already there-- there is nothing more you can ask from a player

[InTheDrink]

tell me about the three straight years of first round exits for jordan?

the cavs didnt make the playoffs in lebrons first two years

[InTheDrink]

is the thread about team success?

no, it is about the greatest ever to play the game.

NOONE has ever played the game better then lebron is right now. He is the ultimate player.

unfortunately legacy is what you are talking about, which is based on rings...

greatest player? lebron is already there-- there is nothing more you can ask from a player

legacy isnt only about rings

what are you even talking about?

some guys in this thread might say so....i never did

legacy is about a career of greatness....rings are only one factor

[dlunc3]

LeBron better have more stats when he is done playing... he hasn't missed most of a season due to injury yet, as Jordan did in his second year. Then you have MJ's 2 retirements, more missed time. Oh, and he actually played in college... even more missed time. LeBron will have 6+ more years playing time. Too bad he won't have the college legacy or the total overall impact that Jordan had not just on the league, but in sports itself. Shoe deals... sports drink deals, all that stuff.... all started by Jordan. LeBron... hey! I had a nationally televised TV debacle the year I ditched the Cavs as a sellout and a quitter on the court

yea, too bad lebron hasnt gotten kicked out of the league jordan style

jordan can be the man all he wants off the court

lebron is the goat on it

and yea, you called it.. part of the reason he is great is bc of his body-- holding up physically is a huge part of what makes someone great

will lebrons career outdo jordans? we are yet to see... but he has already bypassed the player that jordan was in his prime

[dlunc3]

legacy isnt only about rings

what are you even talking about?

some guys in this thread might say so....i never did

legacy is about a career of greatness....rings are only one factor

so what is greatness about then? other then rings, what does jordan have on lebron? jordans rings put him in a different category.. other then rings, lebrons personal trophy case and stats will smash jordans when all said and done

[InTheDrink]

yea, too bad lebron hasnt gotten kicked out of the league jordan style

jordan can be the man all he wants off the court

lebron is the goat on it

and yea, you called it.. part of the reason he is great is bc of his body-- holding up physically is a huge part of what makes someone great

will lebrons career outdo jordans? we are yet to see... but he has already bypassed the player that jordan was in his prime

he also overtook the invisible man's career throughout the 2011 finals

its not jordans fault lebron crumbled in the spotlight

[ThaTopMoron]

he also overtook the invisible man's career throughout the 2011 finals

its not jordans fault lebron crumbled in the spotlight

Jordan has playoff series where he scored multiple 50+ pt games, has averaged in the 40's in playoff series. He still holds the record with his 63 pt performance vs one of the greatest Celtic teams of all time... and that was right after coming back from injury.

Jordan won a damn playoff series that was in a game 5 of 5 game series with a last second nasty shot... one of the greatest moments in NBA history. Let's see LeBron pull that off.

People knew he was gonna be so good that the vets of the NBA were mad about his hype during his rookie season and they all made a pact to not pass MJ the ball in the all-star game. The MJ rules were created to keep him under some sort of control. They weren't to let a guy win the Finals by himself lol

[dlunc3]

so what is the agrument gonna be when lebron has more all star game appearences, more mvps, more all nba first teams, more all nba defensive first teams, more career points, more career rebounds, more career steals, more career blocks, more career assists, better career shooting %, better career 3 pt %? only one.. jordan had more rings... what more can you want from the guy? if you judge it on rings, sure, jordan will most likely have the step up... but in regards to the greatest ever? not sure you will be able to argue with that... if you wanna say the most clutch player ever is the greatest? give it to horry.. most rings ever? give it to russell... ill look at the players all round game.. and that cant really be argued

[InTheDrink]

if you wanna say the most clutch player ever is the greatest? give it to horry

okay you wore me out....im out

youre an idiot

[dlunc3]

makes sense.. rings is the only argument you can use

[ThaTopMoron]

makes sense.. rings is the only argument you can use

Horry? please use people who took clutch shots and were the man on the team you fukkin idiot.

Yes, LeBron BETTER have the "more than MJ" in stats category locked up... he will have played 500 or more games in his career you fukkin idiot again.

Best note... will he ever be able to touch MJ's record for career average with 30.1 pts per game? nah.

MJ averaged 28.2 as a rookie compared to lil poor LeBron at 20.9

MJ won 10 scoring titles and he also won the damn defensive player of the year award. He also unjustly has some extra MVP's not awarded to him by bias voting because he "already had enough"... like Malone winning it in 1997 was a joke and MJ made an example out of him in the Finals.

MJ Changed sports as we know it, not just in basketball. Sorry... check mate LeBron, no matter who many more seasons or games you play or stats you rack up.

if MJ had LeBron's physique he would have won 15 Finals

[dlunc3]

yea... playing 500 more games should help give you a better rpg, apg and shooting % along with making you a better team player on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball? you dont think lebron would average jordans 30ppg if he wanted to? have you ever watched the actual games before? give jordan the better mid range jumper and even give him the better post game.. what else does he have? oh congrats, better ft shooting.. Id give him the ball down a possession at the end of a game too no doubt.. But teams would rather build around lebron any day of the week

[ThaTopMoron]

yea... playing 500 more games should help give you a better rpg, apg and shooting % along with making you a better team player on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball? you dont think lebron would average jordans 30ppg if he wanted to? have you ever watched the actual games before? give jordan the better mid range jumper and even give him the better post game.. what else does he have? oh congrats, better ft shooting.. Id give him the ball down a possession at the end of a game too no doubt.. But teams would rather build around lebron any day of the week

MJ carried his team and didn't have to play PG in his era... James likes to do that, of course he will average more assists... he is afraid to hit the game winning shot. MJ isn't as big as LeBron either and you want to look at rebounds per game average? wtf does having that advantage have shit to do with being the greatest of all time

seriously

[cockblocker]

jordan lost three years in a row in the first round... something that lebron has never done even once.. where was that killer mentality all those years?

Jordans put up perhaps the greatest rookie season ever and followed it up with mind blowing numbers that Lebron will never sniff.

rookie season 52% Fg 85% FT 6.5 RB 5.9 AST 2.4 STL 28.2 PPG


86-87 48% FG 86% FT 5 ast 5 reb 3 stls 1.6 blks 37 ppg
87-88 54% FG 84% FT 6 ast 5.5 reb 3 stls 1.5 bls 35 ppg
88-89 54% FG 85% FT 8 ast 8 reb 3 stls 1 blk 32.5 ppg
89-90 53% FG 85% FT 6 ast 7 reb 3 stls .7 blks 33.6 ppg
89-90 54% FG 85% FT 5.5 ast 6 reb 3 stls 1 blks 31.5 ppg

[cockblocker]

Jordan was great but Nike helped Jordan become the best ever. Because we all know the best ever is pure speculation and lots of imagination.

Jordan is the that made NIke so big. Nike was'nt shit till they signed Jordan.

[cockblocker]

He also choked and got swept in the Finals too. Something MJ would never do.

[cockblocker]

what does jordan's 6 championships have to do with who is the best? robert horry and jim loscutoff have 7 so then i guess he's better than jordan?

my point is that the amount of championships won is not a solo indicator of who the best basketball player is, contrary to what a lot of people here believe.

if jordan quit for good after 3 championships, he was exactly the same basketball player as if he won 6. no difference whatsoever, he was still great.

Your a moron, was Robert Horry the MVP and leader of the team when when he won those 7 rings?

[cockblocker]

I think LeBron has potential to be the greatest ever. How would MJ do if he played in today's game? I think the NBA as a whole has improved so much since Jordan last played that is hard to compare the two.

MJ would avg 40 a game in todays soft league with no hand checking that caters to the offense to allow more scoring. Don't forget he was'nt called Air Jordan for nothing was was an athletic freak that could jump out the gym and literally fly. Plus he has the highest basketball IQ of any player in the league today.

[cockblocker]

Scottie Pippen?? Top 50 NBA player of all time

And Lebron has been relevant since he was drafted, but let's not let facts get in the way

And MJ had the greatest rookie season ever stat wise.

[cockblocker]

Then you never watched Jordan play.

Jordan was a great passer. Obviously you never seen all his games especially the season he played point.

[jetsjets1028]

no he is not jordan was!

[raydog]

jordan not the only player that was/is much better... bird better in almost every category its not even worth comparing and lebron still not in kobes league...the only place lebron might get picked first is in a streetball game at rucker

[cockblocker]

Great Teammate. His efficiency is the stuff Kobe and Jordan could only dream of.

BTW - Of course Jordan would take Kobe over Lebron. Jordan isn't jealous of Kobe.

Idiot. Mj is the most efficient player in NBA history.

The all-time leader in career NBA PER is Michael Jordan with 27.91 over his career. Other players in the all-time top ten include Shaquille O'Neal (26.43), David Robinson (26.18), Wilt Chamberlain (26.13) and Bob Pettit (25.37).

[Ji.chi]

Can't base arguments on solely number of rings, you have to look at numbers, overall impact on the game, teammates, competition of the time, the type of play in that era. Many teams would have rings if they weren't born in the same era as Michael Jordan.

From my personal biased opinion I believe that Magic is the greatest player/teammate/leader ever.

But looking at the numbers and what Lebron can do at this age already, he probably will go down as the greatest overall player. He can play 1-5, defend 1-5, shoot, pass, rebound, drive, too strong for players fast enough to guard, and too quick for players big enough to guard. If you had to pick one guy to score, distribute, and lead a team to the finals, in the constantly evolving game of basketball where the game is only getting faster and more athletic, hands down it would be Lebron.

[GunShard]

Michael Jordan > Lebron James > Kobe Bryant

[lock$mith]

I am from Cleveland, so I naturally lost a lot of respect for him for obvious reasons, but anybody that disagrees with him being the best player the NBA has ever seen is clueless. This guy is amazing and on a completely different level than anybody else in a league that is bigger, stronger, and faster than it ever has been. He could literally score every time he drives to the basket, and I think he's starting to show that with these past 5 or so games.

Haha, last 5 or so games. He has to show it for more than a few games. Mj did it for six years straight. It woulda been 8 years if he didn't retire. Mcduggly, your a fukkin joke

[GunShard]

Michael Jordan is a better than Lebron James.

Michael Jordan 30.1 PPG
Lebron James 27.6 PPG

Michael Jordan 6 time NBA champion.
Lebron James 1 time NBA champion.

Michael Jordan 5 time NBA MVP.
Lebron James 3 time NBA MVP.

When Lebron James retires is when it's easier to determine who is the better player.

Right now, Michael Jordan is the best.

[Goat Milk]

Jordan was a great passer. Obviously you never seen all his games especially the season he played point.

Not a better passer than Lebron. This is an incontrovertible fact.

James is playing along side a top 15 player in NBA history. Enough said. Pippen is no where near Dwayne Wade.

[Goat Milk]

MJ would avg 40 a game in todays soft league with no hand checking that caters to the offense to allow more scoring. Don't forget he was'nt called Air Jordan for nothing was was an athletic freak that could jump out the gym and literally fly. Plus he has the highest basketball IQ of any player in the league today.

It's possible but I doubt it. Think about the best perimeter defenders that used to guard Jordan all those years in his prime? Gary Payton, Joe Dumars? Please. Kobe Bryant in his prime is a much better defender than both those guys. not even close. bryant with most def first team selections in nba history. Lebron and Wade could guard Jordan much better than those two small ass guys too. So would lots of guys in the league today. Point is, Jordan played in an era where most of the superstars were bigs, not guards.

[mcduggly]

Not a better passer than Lebron. This is an incontrovertible fact.

James is playing along side a top 15 player in NBA history. Enough said. Pippen is no where near Dwayne Wade.

Wow, a top 15 player all-time in D-Wade? That's bold, Goat. I can name 50 guys that are better than him and maybe 8 that are better today.

[InTheDrink]

Wow, a top 15 player all-time in D-Wade? That's bold, Goat. I can name 50 guys that are better than him and maybe 8 that are better today.

it's not a totally crazy idea....wade has the 6th highest per of all time

http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/per_career.html

i dont agree with it being a completely accurate measure of a player but its out there and some do

[zsr]

Wade is nowhere near even top 30 all time. Goat continues to spew nonsense. Kobe is barely top 10 all time. Barely. Once you ignore media and homer nonsense and look at stats and advanced stats Kobe is nowhere close to KD or LBJ. Goat needs to start reading Hollinger and Peltons old columns. Guy is clueless.

On the thread topic, im the biggest MJ homer here but LBJ will no doubt go down right with MJ as 1 or 2 all time, with KD knocking right on the door. Unreal how good LBJ and KD are playing right now.

[raiders72001]

Jordan was a great passer. Obviously you never seen all his games especially the season he played point.

I said that Jordan was a great passer. He also led the league in steals in 3 separate seasons. Jordan never lost a playoff series in which the Bulls were favored to win. There is no comparison between the two. Jordan willed the Bulls to win. He played with a 102 fever and had to be carried off the court when the game ended. LeBron has all the physical tools but is mentally weak.

[raiders72001]

Jordan played 82 games in 9 different seasons. He was the only player to do it in 5 of them. LeBron will never do it.

This says it all.

[MP123]

Wade is nowhere near even top 30 all time. Goat continues to spew nonsense. Kobe is barely top 10 all time. Barely. Once you ignore media and homer nonsense and look at stats and advanced stats Kobe is nowhere close to KD or LBJ. Goat needs to start reading Hollinger and Peltons old columns. Guy is clueless.

On the thread topic, im the biggest MJ homer here but LBJ will no doubt go down right with MJ as 1 or 2 all time, with KD knocking right on the door. Unreal how good LBJ and KD are playing right now.

U guys have very short memories