1. LeBron James, Forward
The discussion that always rages when comparing MJ to any player in this day and age in professional basketball comes with the Lakers superstar forward and Ohio native LeBron James. Especially as the newest generations get exposed firsthand to the Jordan years with all those great Bulls teams during the release of ESPN/ABC/Netflix’s 10 part documentary series “The Last Dance”, the argument for either Jordan or LeBron is raging right now.
The list of LeBron’s accolades during his lengthy run in the NBA up to this point is endless, just like Jordan. LeBron has 16 career All-Star selections, 15 All-NBA selections, four MVP’s, three NBA Finals MVP’s, three All-Star Game MVP’s, six All-Defensive Team selections, one scoring title, and three NBA Championships.
Where the comparison between LeBron and MJ usually breaks apart is each player’s successes and/or failures in the playoffs and NBA Finals. MJ didn’t lose in any of the six NBA Finals he appeared in. Meanwhile, LeBron carries a record of 3-5 in his eight appearances in the NBA Finals between his runs with the Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers. Two of his titles came with the Heat, and one with the Cavaliers.
LeBron has a career 58.6 true shooting percentage, 8.9 box plus/minus rating, 236.1 win shares, .235 win shares per 48 minutes, 133.2 value over replacement player rating, and a 27.5 player efficiency rating. He’s registered a career playoff 57.9 true shooting percentage, 10.2 box plus/minus rating, and .244 win shares per 48 minutes.