LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan: GOAT Simulation

As NBA star LeBron James stands merely four victories away from his 10th NBA Finals appearance, comparisons to all-time great Michael Jordan continue to circulate.

Personally, I do not believe that LeBron James is the GOAT. However, I decided to test this debate in a best-of-7 series on NBA2K20.

My simulated match-up features 1995-1996 Michael Jordan and 2015-2016 LeBron James, as both players are ranked 99 overall in the game system.

Jordan entered this season at 32 years of age, 11 years after making his NBA debut. Meanwhile, James entered this season at 30 years of age, 12 years after making his NBA debut.


Here's the breakdown.

Game 1: MJ 21, LeBron 19

Jordan's line:
16 MIN, 21-46 FG, 26 REB, 1 STL, 3 BLK, 5 TO, 7 OR, 11 DNK, 0 FLS

James' line:
16 MIN, 19-43 FG, 21 REB, 5 STL, 5 BLK, 2 TO, 4 OR, 7 DNK, 1 FLS


Game 2: LeBron 21, MJ 16

James' line:
14 MIN, 21-37 FG, 22 REB, 0 STL, 4 BLK, 1 TO, 5 OR, 6 DNK, 1 FLS

Jordan's line:
14 MIN, 16-38 FG, 14 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 4 OR, 11 DNK, 0 FLS


Game 3: LeBron 21, MJ 17

James' line:
13 MIN, 21-36 FG, 18 REB, 0 STL, 4 BLK, 1 TO, 2 OR, 10 DNK, 0 FLS

Jordan's line:
13 MIN, 17-36 FG, 16 REB, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 3 OR, 10 DNK, 0 FLS


Game 4: LeBron 21, MJ 17

James' line:
12 MIN, 21-37 FG, 19 REB, 2 STL, 2 BLK, 1 TO, 6 OR, 4 DNK, 0 FLS

Jordan's line:
12 MIN, 17-32 FG, 10 REB, 0 STL, 1 BLK, 2 TO, 1 OR, 7 DNK, 1 FLS


Game 5: MJ 22, LeBron 20

Jordan's line:
16 MIN, 22-42 FG, 19 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 2 OR, 13 DNK, 0 FLS

James' line:
16 MIN, 20-45 FG, 24 REB, 0 STL, 5 BLK, 2 TO, 7 OR, 8 DNK, 0 FLS


Game 6: LeBron 21, MJ 16

James' line:
15 MIN, 21-42 FG, 24 REB, 2 STL, 2 BLK, 1 TO, 7 OR, 8 DNK, 0 FLS

Jordan's line:
15 MIN, 16-37 FG, 17 REB, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 3 OR, 7 DNK, 2 FLS


LeBron James wins 4 games
Michael Jordan wins 2 games


Does a one-on-one virtual simulation settle this debate? Of course not. Nonetheless, these results certainly make for an interesting discussion.

What is your take? Would Jordan have fared better earlier in his career? Can another player defeat James?


Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below and don't forget to "Subscribe" for future post notifications :)

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 15, 2020 at 6:45 PM

    Were three point shots part of the matchup? I'm not sure that matters as both of them are better midrange and layup/dunk shooters. One on one with no other players probably favors Lebron because of his size and strength.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Christopher SilvaSeptember 15, 2020 at 7:02 PM

      Neither player attempted a three-point shot in any of the six games! I did find it interesting that Jordan scored such a high percentage of his points on dunks...

      Delete

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