LeBron James celebrates his 40th birthday today – and continues to prove that age is just a number. But do his achievements in the autumn of his career make a case in the GOAT debate? A comparison with Michael Jordan provides clarity.
In November, LeBron James caused a stir when he talked about the future of his career. “I won’t play much longer,” said the “King,” who celebrates his 40th birthday on December 30th. He is already the oldest active player in the league. Tomorrow, he could make history by becoming only the 29th player in NBA history to play a game in his 40s.
Michael Jordan already managed to get his name on this list almost two decades earlier. After his second comeback in 2001, the six-time NBA champion played two more seasons for the Washington Wizards before breaking the mark in 2003 and retiring for good a few months later.
Although Jordan shed the superhero image during those years, he remains the best player of all time for many basketball fans. Only LeBron James, today’s birthday boy, is considered a serious rival in such discussions.
This debate is notoriously endless, with numerous variables favoring the arguments of both sides. However, the achievements of both players in the autumn of their careers – at the age of 40 – can be stated quite factually.
LeBron “Age is just a number” James
Longevity is often used as a prime example of LeBron James. Not without reason: last season, he broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record as the oldest player to average over 25 points per game. James also recently became the player to have logged the most minutes in the NBA.
Nevertheless, “Father Time” is leaving its mark. Between 2018 and 2023, James played more than 56 games in just one season. He has already missed games this season due to injuries.
One major difference to Michael Jordan: While LeBron played through without a long break, Jordan took two timeouts – in the 1993/94 and 1998 to 2001 seasons. Despite his age, Jordan played in all 82 regular season games in 2002/03, but the Wizards missed the playoffs.
MJ, the scoring machine – or was he?
While LeBron James is considered to be possibly the most complete player in NBA history, Jordan is said to have been the best scorer. A quick glance at the statistics confirms this. With 30.1 points per game, Jordan has the highest career average of all NBA players with at least 1000 games. LeBron James ranks “only” fourth here (27.1), behind Wilt Chamberlain (2) and Kevin Durant (3).
However, the picture is different in the final stages of their careers. Michael Jordan averaged 20.0 points per game in 82 games in the 2002/03 season, shooting just 44.5 percent of his shots from the field and just 29.1 percent of his threes. LeBron James has also struggled with efficiency this season, but his average of 49.6 percent is still significantly better than Jordan’s. Playing a very similar volume, James still scores 3.5 points more per game (23.5).
Success in old age: Who is ahead?
After winning the title in 2020, the Los Angeles Lakers are no longer among the favorites to win the title. The Californians finished the preseason in eighth place (47 wins). Thanks to a victory in the first round of the play-ins, James and Co. faced their nemesis Denver Nuggets in the playoffs, against whom they once again lost (4-1). However, they never lost by more than 11 points in any game.
The Wizards, led by Michael Jordan and Jerry Stackhouse, recorded ten fewer wins in 2002-03 (37). In the already relatively weaker Eastern Conference, they narrowly missed the playoffs in ninth place. Jordan then ended his career for good and retired to the second row (management) of the Wizards, where he remained similarly unsuccessful.
With more than 20 points per game and no missed games, Jordan nevertheless had a much better final season than widely assumed. However, he was unable to stand up to James, who only seems to be aging on paper, at the age of 40. Let’s hope that we can continue to admire the “King” on the court for many years to come. On that note, Happy Birthday, LeBron!
