Array
As LeBron James adds to his amazing legacy by becoming the NBA’s career scoring leader, the debate resumes over whether he or Michael Jordan is the NBA’s all-time greatest player.
Los Angeles Lakers forward James, in his 20th NBA campaign at age 38, overtook fellow legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the all-time league scoring crown on Tuesday.
“To be in the company with such a prominent dominant force as Kareem was, it’s an honor,” James told ESPN before breaking the record.
Retired icon Jordan ranks fifth on the all-time NBA points list with 32,292 in 1,072 games for a record average of 30.1 points a game. LeBron was at about 27.2 with superior assist and rebound averages.
“Air” Jordan also was a winner and Most Valuable Player in all six of his NBA Finals appearances with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s. He was a five-time season MVP and 10-time scoring champion.
LeBron has won four titles in 10 NBA Finals appearances, eight in a row from 2011-2018. He was a four-time finals MVP and four-time season MVP and won his only season scoring crown in 2008.
Both captured two Olympic gold medals and each starred in “Space Jam” movies, becoming cultural icons with epic endorsement deals.
Like Jordan, James was a high-leaping, acrobatic, amazing playmaker in his younger days who adjusted his game to remain dangerous and raise the level of his teammates.
“We can enjoy one without tearing down one,” the late Kobe Bryant tweeted about the Jordan-James debate in 2018.
