LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan: Statistical Comparison of Their First 14 Seasons and First 12 Playoff Appearances

As we approach another Finals appearance for LeBron James, we do so in the wake of a flood of Jordan vs. James comparisons. Some say the "King" can never reach "His Airness." Others say he's already there.

It is most definitely futile to limit any "GOAT" comparison to something as simple as a ring count: Does Robert Horry's seven rings make him better than Michael Jordan's six? Is Ron Harper as equally "great" as Kobe Bryant, both of whom have five rings? 

No, something as complex as the infamous "Greatest of All Time" claim requires an equally as complex data set. 

What follows are graphs of the major statistical categories for LeBron James and Michael Jordan over their first fourteen seasons and first twelve playoff appearances. Jordan's career actually includes fifteen seasons and thirteen playoff appearances, but in order to see a year-to-year comparison, I only included data for the length of James' shorter career. 

No doubt someone will make the argument that shortening the data set omits Jordan's final ring. However, I don't feel that argument holds up because Jordan earned that ring in his thirteenth playoff appearance. James is just now appearing in his twelfth. 

My primary goal when I started this project was to do a season-to-season, playoff appearance-to-playoff appearance statistical comparison. This helps limit the statistical differences created in comparing the players at different points in their career. 

Let me be clear: the comparisons that follow will not settle any "GOAT" argument. But it should add to the continued dialogue that we'll see as we make our way through this year's Finals. 

(Please note that I adjusted the scale of the vertical axis on most of the graphs to allow for a clearer visualization of the differences between the players.)

What years are we looking at? 

The tables below depict the seasons I have included in the comparisons that follow. 

FIRST 14 SEASONS

FIRST 12 PLAYOFF APPEARANCES

Notes

- James' fourteen seasons have been consecutive. Jordan had two breaks in his first fourteen seasons: one in 1993 to play baseball and one in 1998 for his first retirement. 

Overview of Playoff Performance

Notes
- James had two Finals appearances in his first six playoff appearances. Jordan did not make a Finals appearance until his 7th playoff appearance.
- Both James and Jordan won their first championship with their 7th playoff appearance.
- Both players won their second championship with their 8th appearance.
- Jordan completed his first three-peat in his 9th playoff appearance. James made it to the Finals in his 9th appearance but lost.
- Both players won a championship in their 11th playoff appearance. Jordan won another championship in his 12th appearance. James is currently entering the Finals in his 12th playoff appearance.
- James has never lost a first round series. Jordan lost his first three.

Overview of Impact on Regular Season Records

Jordan...

James...

Notes

- Both the 1998-1999 and 2011-2012 seasons were abbreviated due to lockouts. 

- The teams each player played for--Miami and Cleveland for James; Chicago and Washington for Jordan--noticeably benefited (i.e. via more wins) from having that player on their team. 

Games Started & Minutes Played

Notes
- Jordan had two dips in the number of games he played during a season: his 2nd season (broken foot) and 10th season (returning from playing baseball).
- Jordan started in all 82 games of eight of his first fourteen seasons. James has never started in all 82 games of the regular season.

Field Goal Percentage 

Notes
- Both players have shot an impressive (but semi-sporadic) field goal percentage over the course of their careers.
- Jordan's field goal percentage slightly declined over time, where as James' field goal percentage has slightly increased in more recent years.

Three-Point Percentage

Notes
- Two of Jordan's three highest 3-point averages (10th season: 1994-1995; 11th season: 1995-1996) occurred during the period when the NBA shortened the 3-point line to a uniform 22 feet all the way around the basket (1994-1997).
- Jordan's 100% 3-point effort during his second playoff appearance (1985-1986) was achieved off of a single 3-point shot.
- James has been a slightly better 3-point shooter than Jordan was during the regular season; however, Jordan was slightly better (and more consistent) in the playoffs.

Free Throw Attempts & Free Throw Percentage

Notes
- The average number of free throws attempted by each player decreased over the course of their careers.
- Jordan was a better and more consistent free throw shooter than James has been, both in season and in the playoffs.

Rebounds

Notes
- James has consistently been better at collecting rebounds than Jordan, both in season and in the playoffs.

Assists

Notes
- James has consistently been better at getting his team involved during the regular season. However, in the playoffs, the players' assist numbers are more similar.
- A significant distinction can be observed, however, with James' assist numbers in his 10th, 11th, and 12th playoff appearances compared to Jordan's numbers in the same appearances.

Steals

Notes
- Jordan was more successful and more consistent at getting steals. James has, however, increased his playoff numbers in this category in recent years.

Blocks

Notes
- James and Jordan are fairly equal in this category, both in season and in the playoffs.

Turnovers

Notes
- James' in-season turnover numbers have increased over the years.
- The players post-season turnover numbers are fairly equal (James' numbers slightly higher in his last two playoff appearances).

Points

Notes
- Jordan is the statistically better scorer, in season and in the playoffs.

Totals

Notes
- Over the course of the compared seasons and playoff appearances, Jordan leads James in only three "total" categories: in-season steals, in-season blocks, and in-season points.
- It should be noted that Jordan's limited play in his second season due to his broken foot and the reduced number of games he played in his tenth season had an impact on his overall season numbers.
- The change in playoff format in 2003 from a best-of-five first round series to a best-of-seven has also created a disparity in the players' total numbers.

Take-Aways

I'll reiterate that the above information will not answer the question: who is the greatest basketball player of all time? 

What the information does provide us with is a few fairly clear points:
- Jordan was the better scorer (based on PPG averages)
- James has been the better rebounder and is slightly better at getting his teammates involved
- Jordan is better at accumulating steals
- Both players are proficient at blocking shots
- James has been remarkably durable over his fourteen seasons in the league
- Jordan, when healthy, played an impressive number of games each season

Overall, both players are statistically remarkable, and their numbers in all aspects of the game are incredibly similar. To claim either player is less than the other is bordering on the ridiculous.

But what about the ring count? 

Ah, yes, for some, the GOAT argument will always boil down to the number of rings on a player's fingers. Over the course of his first twelve playoff appearances, Jordan earned five rings. LeBron has earned three in the same span, and he has a shot at his fourth in the coming weeks.

But even if he gets the fourth, four is still less than five.

And for some, that's the only data set you need to consider.

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Sources: 
http://stats.nba.com/
http://www.basketball-reference.com
http://www.landofbasketball.com