by Isaiah Montoya

Created on: April 20, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

If LeBron James (or Kobe Bryant) was greater than Jordan we would already know.

Let's say LeBron James plays fifteen more seasons. He has a body that can take a 20 year pro career like Jabbar, Parish and Kevin Willis. He would have to average 31.1 points per game for the next 1,125 games to finish his career as the player with the highest scoring average ever. Michael Jordan, the greatest NBA player ever hold that position. He took it away from WILT CHAMBERLAIN!

The possibility of James finishing his career as the greatest scorer per game, much less greatest player ever, is certifiably impossible. It is also impossible for Kobe Bryant to do so. Bryant would have to play for ten more seasons and average 36.0 ppg for all those seasons combined to finish as the greatest scorer or player ever.

If James were greater than Jordan we would already know. Like Jordan, James had not won a championship by the end of his fifth season. The Cavs will not be NBA champions in 2008. After five seasons James has played in 391 games ad scored 10,689 points, averaging 27.3 pints per game. He averaged 20.9 ppg in his rookie year. He was named Rookie of the Year.

Jordan averaged 28.2 ppg in his rookie year. After five seasons Jordan had played 345 games, scoring 11,263 points for an average of 32.6 ppg. He also had already picked up a NBA MVP award and a Defensive Player of the Year award to go with his Rookie of the Year award.

In his first five seasons Jordan accumulated 962 steals (2.8 average) and 411 blocks (1.2 average). James has 693 steals (1.8 average) and 312 blocks (0.8 average). The most unbelievable part is that James averaged 41.1 minutes per game in his first five seasons while Jordan averaged 39.0. Jordan did much more than James in less time and Jordan was 6'5" 198 pounds while James is 6'9" and 260. Bryant can't hang with either of these guys in his first five seasons because he was developing while they were developed.

Bryant averaged a paltry 7.6 ppg in his rookie year. After five seasons Bryant had scored 6,178 points in 334 games played for an average of 18.5 ppg.

Over his next eight seasons with the Bulls Jordan went on to lead them to six championships, the whole while leading the league in scoring every full season. It was amazing. Can LeBron do that? No, because even Larry Bird knew after getting scorched for 63 points by a second year player named Jordan. Those 63 points are still an all-time NBA playoff record.

Shooting is the entire basis of basketball. After five seasons James has taken 8,262 shots and made 3,858 of them. He has shot 46.7% from the field. James has taken 3,382 free throws and made 2,463. He has shot 72.8% from the line.

Bryant shot only 45.4% from the field making 2,184 of 4897 shots from the field and made 82.7% of his free throws.

Jordan made 4,120 of 8,025 shots for a 51.3 percentage from the field, something Kobe and LeBron know nothing about. Jordan also made 2,965 of 3,496 free throws for a 84.8%.

Jordan is the greatest ever and James is not even greater than Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Bird, Chamberlain or Russell either, and neither is Bryant. Sorry LeBron, but let's all take a reality check!

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