LeBron James has been the greatest basketball player over the last decade. His career has been full of success and dominance. Because he has accomplished almost everything imaginable there is only one more thing on his mind. LeBron James is now chasing the ghost of Michael Jordan that the NBA and their fans have created, and he is much closer than most people realize.
If you compare both players careers at the age of 31 (LeBron James’ current age) then Michael Jordan is actually the less successful and skilled player.
Success at the age of 31
LeBron James: 3x NBA Champion, 7 NBA Finals appearances, 4x NBA MVP, 3x NBA Finals MVP, 12x NBA All-Star, 2x NBA All-Star Game MVP, 12x All-NBA Team member, and 6x NBA All-Defensive Team member.
Michael Jordan: 3x NBA Champion, 3 NBA Finals appearances, 3x NBA MVP, 3x NBA Finals MVP, 10x NBA All-Star, NBA All-Star Game MVP, 8x All-NBA Team member, NBA DPOY, and 9x NBA All-Defensive First Team member.
Statistics at the age of 31
LeBron James
Career averages: 27.2 PPG 7.2 RPG 6.9 APG and 1.7 SPG
Career totals: 26,833 PTS 7,067 TRB 6,815 AST 1,657 STL and 773 BLK
Michael Jordan
Career averages: 32.3 PPG 6.3 RPG 5.9 APG and 2.7 SPG and 1.0 BPG
Career totals: 21,541 PTS 4,219 TRB 3,935 AST 1,815 STL and 684 BLK
At the age of 31 LeBron James has recorded more points, rebounds, assists, and blocks than Michael Jordan. He has also won one more NBA MVP award and been named to 4 more All-NBA teams. At this age LeBron James has actually had a better career than Michael Jordan. But Michael’s career didn’t end at age 31 as he continued to have an amazing rest of his career. LeBron James will have to continue his dominating fashion and find a way to win more NBA championships if he wants to challenge Michael Jordan and be considered by most people the greatest player in NBA history.
