LeBron James and Michael Jordan are probably the two most debated contenders in the GOAT debate. Jordan’s magic in the 80s and 90s left an indelible mark whereas LBJ’s longevity has been the rarest in the league. Therefore, a look at how Jordan did at James’ current age can open up a perspective of how efficient MJ was at the same age as his GOAT rival in the last years of his NBA career.
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James turned 39 in December 2023 while Jordan retired two months after he turned 40 years old in 2003. Considering that James turned 39 in the middle of the current season, a great way to compare can be taking into account the seasons when Jordan and James were 37-38 years old. Therefore, let us have a statistical dive into LeBron’s 2022-23 season and Jordan’s 2001-2002 season which correlates in terms of their age.
LeBron James: 2022-23 season
During the 2022-23 season, because of injuries, LeBron James played in 55 out of the possible 82 games. During those games, LBJ tallied 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists on an impressive 50%. He shot 32.2% from the three-point line, making 121 triples on 377 attempts (2.2 out of 6.9 per game).
He shot 76.8% from the free-throw line and had an effective field-goal percentage of 54.9. On January 16 against the Houston Rockets, he had a season-high of 48 points. Overall, he hit the 40-point mark five times. Meanwhile, he scored 30 or more a remarkable 26 times.
Michael Jordan: 2001-2002
At the age of 38, Michael Jordan missed 22 games during 2001-2002 due to multiple injuries. In the 60 games that he played, he collected 22.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.4 steals on 41.6%. He shot 18.9% from three-point line, attempting just 53 of them, meaning less than one a game on average.
The shooting guard clicked on 79% of his free-throw attempts and had an effective field percentage of 42.0. On December 29, the mid-range maestro notched a season-high 51 points against the Charlotte Hornets. For the season, he hit the 50-point mark once while breaching the 40-point mark five times. He scored 30 points or more during 16 instances.
James has an overwhelming statistical pull in terms of both points value and efficiency. However, during the early 2000s, the defenses were much more physical and scoring much more sparse. Jordan played in a time when the average score per team was below 100, meanwhile during the the 2022-23 season, it was well over 115.
In terms of help, James had the incredible support of Anthony Davis and a deep shooting lineup, which helped him get into the Western Conference in 2023. Meanwhile, Jordan couldn’t crack the code to the Playoffs considering the lack of depth.
Considering the rule changes and the difference in style of play from two different eras, the comparison can be tricky. However, there is no denying that statistically King James had a huge edge over Air Jordan when he and MJ both had hit 37-38 years of age.
