{"id":1169217,"date":"2020-05-16T18:50:30","date_gmt":"2020-05-16T22:50:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1169217"},"modified":"2020-05-16T18:50:31","modified_gmt":"2020-05-16T22:50:31","slug":"why-the-michael-jordan-vs-lebron-james-goat-debate-is-a-ridiculous-argument-to-have-in-the-first-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/why-the-michael-jordan-vs-lebron-james-goat-debate-is-a-ridiculous-argument-to-have-in-the-first-place\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James GOAT Debate Is a Ridiculous Argument to Have in the First Place"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Michael Jordan<\/a> vs. LeBron James<\/a>. Who's the GOAT? That's the argument that's been going on for years and years now and continues to be a hot topic of conversation as The\u00a0Last\u00a0Dance<\/a><\/em> plays out on ESPN. And since I just mentioned ESPN, go ahead and pretend that you're hearing this next sentence in the “30 for 30” voice. What if I told you that the Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James GOAT debate was one of the most ridiculous arguments in history?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, just so we're clear from the get-go, I'm not going to sit here and say that anyone who has this particular argument is wrong for having it. Sure, maybe the title of this piece suggests that. But I get it. These types of debates can be fun and they're a great way to pass the time with your buddies over a few beers. But this thing has gotten way out of control. And, honestly, it's never made one lick of sense to me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michael Jordan and LeBron James aren't even the same player<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=eDTzDTWV5Yg\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

RELATED: Kobe Bryant Once Wanted to Join Michael Jordan With the Washington Wizards<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of my biggest gripes on the Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James debate is easily one of the most obvious: they're not even the same type of player. If you want to have this kind of argument, leave LeBron James out of it and insert Kobe Bryant<\/a>. Kobe was admittedly a Michael Jordan clone and it was easy to see with the fadeaway and the intensity and essentially everything he did, including his defense. And while I'm at it, why did Kobe ever get knocked (and it happened a lot) for copying Jordan's game? Isn't that a guy you'd want to emulate? But maybe that's an argument for another day. As it pertains to LeBron, I've just never understood the comparison. James has always been more like Magic Johnson <\/a>or Oscar Robertson. I'd say he's more like Scottie Pippen than Michael Jordan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The argument I hear so often is that Jordan was a better scorer. And that's true. Jordan had a career scoring average of 30.1 points per game to LeBron's 27.1. But he also put up more shots (more than three per game on average) as LeBron was more of a passer than MJ, as evidenced by James' 7.4 career assists average to Jordan's 5.3. Another one I hear is about how LeBron is a better rebounder. Well, no kidding. He's got three inches and about 50 pounds on Jordan in his playing days. They're just different players. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, yet again, I just don't get it. If we're going to go ahead and compare players that have different games, why not Jordan vs. Wilt or LeBron vs. Kareem? So that's the first thing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Michael Jordan and LeBron James would thrive in any era<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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