Since the retirement of NBA legend Michael Jordan, he has been widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time.

In the 2003 NBA Draft, right after Jordan’s retirement, high school basketball phenom LeBron James was selected first overall.

Over his long career, LeBron has proven that he is the GOAT through his incredible statistics, post-season success, and longevity.

Over the course of his career, James has averaged 27.1 points per game, with 7.4 rebounds and assists per game while making over 50% of his shot attempts.

Although Jordan averages more points, he has fewer rebounds, assists, and a lower field goal percentage.

He is also one of two players in NBA history to average at least 27 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists (per game) for six consecutive seasons, and is the only player in NBA history to average at least 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists for their career. James was also the 1st forward in NBA history to average more than 8.0 assists per game.

Although James has had tremendous regular-season success, the post-season is where the true greats solidify their name.

LeBron’s statistics do improve in the postseason, but that is not the focus here. He is one of four players to make 8 straight finals appearances and the other 3 players were all a part of the Boston Celtics 1960s teams which were the most dominant team of all time with 8 teams in the NBA at the time.

LeBron also has 4 NBA championships with 3 different teams. Yes, Jordan won 6 and never lost in the finals.

But LeBron had to face off against the loaded San Antonio Spurs with no supporting cast in the 2007 NBA Finals.

In the Cavs matchup against the Warriors in 2015, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love both did not play in the finals due to injury. Despite their second and third best players being hurt, Lebron still managed to stretch the series to 6 games.

Lebron has also deserved recognition for the two finals losses against the Warriors in 2017 and 2018 because no team in NBA history would have had a chance against Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.

When you look at it, there were only two finals series that LeBron was given a chance to win. To further the argument, in many years on the Bulls before the 90s, Jordan was knocked out before the finals despite having a good enough team to make it.

So now when someone comes up to you with the 6 to 4 championship argument, you know what to say.

The last reason why LeBron James is the GOAT is because of his longevity. LeBron is currently in his 18th season in the NBA and has shown no signs of slowing down.

He is coming off his 4th championship while winning the finals MVP. Most of his statistics have stayed similar except for his assists numbers which have skyrocketed over the past few years.

In the 2019-2020 NBA season, Lebron finished the season averaging 10.2 assists which was the highest total in the NBA.

LeBron has done all this while never resting a season or missing less than 55 games (of 82). He has suffered minimal injuries throughout his career due to the amount of time and money he puts into his body.

If you were to ask any athlete how they measure greatness, they would say something along the lines of constant success over a long period of time. LeBron James is the definition of that.

It is incredible what LeBron James has been able to accomplish over his career. What is even crazier is that he is not even done playing yet and that he has shown no signs of slowing down.

So, to all the people that still will not change their stance on Jordan being the GOAT, just remember that Lebron is not even done yet. He is coming for 6.

Sources:

Jordan Greer “Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: The Key Stats You Need to Know in the GOAT Debate.” Sporting News, (Getty Images/SN Illustration), 24 Oct. 2020,

“LeBron James Stats.” Basketball, www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jamesle01.html.