CLEVELAND, Ohio — Behold the receding hairline under King James’ crown. Behold the ice packs around his knee. Behold the adult prince sitting next to him on the bench these days.
And check out the tomahawk dunk James slammed earlier this week against the Bulls, two days after Derrick Rose’s jersey retirement.
Rose played 15 seasons beginning in 2008-09, James’ sixth year. The former Bulls star retired two years ago, and the king is still dunking on Rose’s former team.
Amazing.
Twenty-three years into Lakers forward LeBron James’ career, we are all, somehow, still witnesses. Hard to believe that James returns to Cleveland again this week, about one month removed from his 41st birthday, but it’s true. He’s still playing, still averaging a cool 22.4 points, 6.7 assists and six rebounds per game on 50.7% shooting, still befuddling the basketball world with his durability.
“Every game we get a chance to compete against him, compete in the same arena, it’s a celebration,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said this week.
“... You say it could be his last game here. He could also have four more years left. As great as he is, as great as he’s playing... I don’t know. Who has done this?”
The answer is nobody, no matter your measure of what James has done. He is the first player in league history to play 23 seasons, the only player to average 25 points per game at age 39 or older and perhaps the greatest warrior in man’s fight against father time.
But he is also hurting his G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) argument the longer he plays.
By now you know the battlegrounds drawn in this decade-long barroom debate. James leads Michael Jordan in career points, assists, rebounds, blocks, steals and shooting percentage (though not in points per game, blocks per game or steals per game). Jordan counts more championship rings, MVP awards, Finals MVP awards, All-Defense honors and scoring titles (though not more finals appearances, All-NBA honors or All-Star appearances).
By smart basketball accounts, you can’t go wrong picking a preferred superstar.
**THE COUNTING STATS GUIDE TO THE GOAT DEBATE**
Michael Jordan (15 seasons)
LeBron James (23 seasons and counting)
Points: 32,292 (30.1 per game)
Points: 42,810 (26.9 per game)
Rebounds: 6,672 (6.2 per game)
Rebounds: 11,899 (7.5 per game)
Assists: 5,633 (5.3 per game)
Assists: 11,772 (7.4 per game)
Blocks: 893 (0.8 per game)
Blocks: 1,168 (0.7 per game)
Steals: 2,514 (2.3 per game)
Steals: 2,375 (1.5 per game)
Shooting percentages: 49.7% FG, 32.7% 3P, 83.5% FT
Shooting percentages: 50.6% FG, 34.9% 3P, 73.7% FT
Games played: 1,072
Games played: 1,590
“It’s hard to compare eras and play styles,” Lakers coach J.J. Redick said in Chicago this week. “To me, it’s even harder to compare stats. Jordan is 1, LeBron is 1; Jordan is 2, LeBron is 2. However, you want to do it, to me, they’re the two greatest players of all time.”
Despite either fanbase’s belief, the debate remains close between Jordan and LeBron, perhaps too close considering that one legend played eight more seasons than the other.
That James entered this season averaging 71 games per year simultaneously defies logic and boldens the Jordan crowd’s case against him. No player has ever invested more time, money and thought into their body than James. His all-time scoring record is a reflection of both skill and science.
So why does James still trail the cigar-smoking, golf-club-swinging, late-night-gambling Jordan in other key legacy categories?
Reminder: Jordan skipped his age 30 season — and part of his age 31 season — to play baseball. He skipped another three years after winning his last championship in 1996, the year he turned 34. And he still boasts more weighty accomplishments than James.
Again, why?
**THE TROPHY CASE’S GUIDE TO THE GOAT DEBATE**
Michael Jordan (15 seasons)
LeBron James (23 seasons and counting)
Championships: 6
Championships: 4
Conference titles: 6
Conference titles: 10
MVP Awards: 5
MVP Awards: 4
Finals MVP Awards: 6
Finals MVP Awards: 4
All-NBA team honors: 11 (10 first-team)
All-NBA team honors: 21 (13 first-team)
All-Defense team honors: 9 (9 first-team)
All-Defense team honors: 6 (5 first-team)
All-Star selections: 14
All-Star selections: 21
Scoring titles: 10
Scoring titles: 1
Well, during the 13 years since James has won MVP, he developed a tendency to coast through regular seasons. In doing so, he saved gas for long playoff runs and mileage for a longer career. But this is where the Jordan crowd says that _their_ G.O.A.T. never took days off (even if he often took game day golf trips).
During his Bulls run, Jordan averaged 70.6 games played per season himself. That includes an 18-game stint in 1985-86 when he broke his foot. And you’ll find few (if any) reports of Jordan [“resting” on the court during games](https://go.skimresources.com?id=126006X1587346&xs=1&xcust=jwatkins%7C&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.espn.com%2Fnba%2Fstory%2F_%2Fid%2F23384071&product_category=Sporting+Goods%3EAthletics%3EBasketball).
James would have won more championships, too, if the Kevin Durant-era Warriors hadn’t stacked the deck against him. Even with James near his peak during the 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals, Durant’s All-Star teams won eight of nine games in two series against Cleveland.
But Durant’s move was a product of the player movement era that, ironically, James ushered into existence. He walked down South Beach’s Ocean Drive so that Durant could flee to the 73-win Warriors several years later, making James a victim of his own influence.
Meanwhile, Jordan kept winning throughout his prime. He never lost an NBA Finals — never even played a Game 7 in that round. And here come the Bron fans: Never mind the six seasons when Chicago missed the Finals altogether_._
Fair enough. Between Jordan’s heights and James’ longevity, we can push our favorite narratives all day. LeBron is more skilled; Jordan was more of a killer. Jordan’s peak was higher; LeBron’s lasted longer.
Twenty-three years into his career, with a full-grown family and a fading hairline, James is still dunking on Jordan’s Bulls.
And hurting his G.O.A.T. case in the process.