As long as the Cleveland Cavaliers star does not retire, you can not make an official comparison between these two players, but you can make projections

Who is better: Michael Jordan or LeBron James? Surely you have heard or read that question many times. You may also have wondered who is the best in the world between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the best in history between Pelé and Diego Armando Maradona, between Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher, or between Babe Ruth and Micky Mantle, to mention a few cases.

Leer en español: Debate abierto: LeBron James mejora sus números, ¿es mejor que Michael Jordan?

Returning to those that concern us with the NBA, the sure thing today is that Jordan continues to dominate in the taste of fans of the best basketball, but also sure that James is the best player of the last decade, even the last 15 years. Last December, the star forward of the Cleveland Cavaliers turned 33 years old, an age in which the legendary forward of the Chicago Bulls had already achieved many things.

Attention! That there is a lot of parity in the statistics between both, which suggests that James, with two or three more seasons remaining, could complete a trajectory that Michael Jordan will always look at with a magnifying glass, because such parity could be even more marked and would leave even more open debate about who is really considered the best of all time.

The former player and current owner of the Charlotte Hornets, lived one of his best seasons when he was 33 years old in 1996 when he won his fourth title with Chicago. Of course, to be fair in the comparison must be said that they are players of different characteristics because Jordan was more a pure scorer, while James is more involved with defensive work. Jordan was more skillful and light, James stronger and more athletic.

In the painting, James is much more collaborative than Jordan was, also more attendant, but Jordan in turn had an infallible half-distance shot. In 10 categories, the result was very level with the legendary 'Bull' dominating four of them, LeBron three, plus three draws.

This is the comparison Jordan vs LeBron

Averages: James

-Michael Jordan at 33 years old: 29 points per game (NBA leader), 4.3 assists, 5.9 rebounds, and 49.6% accuracy in field goals.

-LeBron James at 33 (unfinished season): 27.8 points per game, 9.3 assists, 8.2 rebounds, and 56% accuracy in field goals.

Rings: Jordan

-Michael Jordan won his fourth title when he was 33

-LeBron James has three and a chances to match him this year.

MVP: Draw

-Michael Jordan added four MVP trophies at age 33. A year later in 1997, he would win his fifth prize.

-Lebron James adds to the same age the same amount of Most Valuable awards.

Finals MVP: Jordan

-Michael Jordan added five Finals MVPs to his 33 years

-LeBron James has only three.

Participations in 'All Star': James

-To his 33 years, Michael Jordan added 11 presences in the All-Star Game

-LeBron James accumulates 13 presences in Star Match

All Star MVP: Draw

-Michael Jordan had two trophies as the best player of the All-Star Game.

-LeBron James adds equally to two at 33 years.

Medals in Olympic Games: James

-Michael Jordan accumulated two gold medals in his career in Olympic Games

-LeBron James carries three metals (two gold and one bronze)

Ideal NBA Team: Draw

-Michael Jordan had 11 presences in the ideal team with 33 years.

-LeBron James also adds 11 presences in the ideal team of one season.

NBA Defensive Team: Jordan

-Michael Jordan had eight nominations among the best defenders in the league.

-LeBron James has five such nominations.

Top scorer of the NBA: Jordan

-Until his 33 years, Michael Jordan was nine times the top scorer of the season in the NBA.

-In that sense, it is where there are more disadvantages, because LeBron James has achieved it in only one occasion.

Latin American Post | Onofre Zambranos

Translated from "Debate abierto: LeBron James mejora sus números, ¿es mejor que Michael Jordan?"