LeBron James recently scored his 32,293rd point on an and-one play against the Nuggets. That puts him above Michael Jordan, and third overall, on the all-time scoring list. After that game, LeBron fans have been quick to say that their idol is now the GOAT. To this we say: NOT. A. CHANCE.




The fact that LeBron has now scored more points than Jordan means nothing. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, and Kobe Bryant are still ahead of LeBron and MJ. Did those three guys ever challenge His Airness for his throne? Nope. And if that's not enough to convince you, remember that while Jordan played in 15 seasons, he had two seasons where he played only less than 20 games. Despite that, LeBron needed 118 more games than Jordan to reach his point total.


Let me repeat that for LeBron fans: ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEEN GAMES. If Jordan didn't go crazy and quit basketball to play baseball, LeBron would have needed the rest of this season PLUS ANOTHER FULL SEASON just to catch him. By Jordan's second retirement at age 34, which is how old LeBron is now, Jordan was still averaging more points than LeBron is doing now. So please, whichever way you look at it, this feat does not prove LeBron's supremacy over MJ.


That in itself should prove that Jordan is still the GOAT. But since we're having so much fun, let's continue. Jordan has six championships, LeBron has three. Jordan has six finals MVPs, 'Bron has three. MJ was named MVP five times and was once named the Defensive Player of the Year. LeBron has been MVP four times and has never won DPOY. Jordan is a two-time slam dunk contest champion, whereas James is too scared to even compete. LeBron doesn't even have it in him to create his own cartoon-basketball crossover! And don't even get me started on The Decision. That right there is the single most devastating legacy-destroyer I've ever seen. The only thing LeBron is better than MJ at? Getting coaches fired and players he doesn't like traded.


If you're one of the lowly subjects of LeBron James who adamantly argues his dominion among basketball royalty, you're just embarrassing yourself. Where in the hell did you even get the idea that he is the greatest of all time? King James? Yeah, right. Maybe he can settle for the title of prince or duke. His Airness is still the one who rightfully sits on the throne.


Banner photo by Keith Alison



Kevin has been a lifelong fan of basketball. His favorite player is Allen Iverson but he plays nothing like him. Had he not sustained a career ending injury, he would still be regularly coming off the bench in barangay leagues. He now satisfies his need to play by shooting free throws in every basketball arcade game he sees. His opinions here are, of course, his own and do not reflect AO's, but it's called Basketball Vitriol for a reason. We always encourage strong opinions—as long as you back it up with smarts.