LeBron vs Jordan

[Mike G]

LeBron's career is approaching that of Jordan's. In many ways, they're virtually identical at this point.
Some regular season summaries:

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RS       G    Min    eFG%   TS%   TRb%   Ast%   Stl%  Usg%   PER   WS/48   BPM
Jordan  911  35769  .518   .580    9.4   24.9   3.3   33.5   29.1   .274   9.0
LeBron  930  35887  .530   .581   10.8   34.5   2.3   31.7   27.7   .240   9.2

http://bkref.com/tiny/PVTvv
This omits Jordan's 2 years in Washington, age 38-39. Also, of course, it doesn't include LeBron's future years of decline (though it includes his teenage rookie season).
Their RS are within 20 games and 120 minutes of one another. Jordan was more of an O-Rebounder, LeBron does it on DReb.

Playoff totals:

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PO       G   Min    eFG%   TS%   TRb%   Ast%   Stl%  Usg%    PER   WS/48   BPM
Jordan  179  7474   .503  .568    9.3   28.2   2.7   35.6   28.6   .255   10.1
LeBron  178  7561   .507  .565   12.5   33.4   2.2   32.1   27.4   .234   10.4

It's hard to imagine two players any closer in games and minutes, and a few other things.
In PO, LeBron picks up his Usg% a bit; Jordan, Ast and Usg%, a lot.

[Mike G]

Looking for best individual playoff games, the only 'advanced' stat at b-r.com is Game Score. This is mostly about production, but it includes some efficiency. GmSc is available from 1986 to present.
A GmSc of 40 is super-duper. It's only been done 40 times in playoffs (since '86), and only once in the Finals (Duncan to start the 2003 series).

Since MJ and LBJ have both been to 6 NBA Finals, it's fair to compare their 'big games' along with others.
Playoff games above certain GmSc, Finals games in parentheses:

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40+ GmSc      35+  GmSc        30+  GmSc     
7  Jordan     22  Jordan (2)   48  Jordan (8)
3  Olajuwon   12  LeBron       25  Shaq  (8)
3  Barkley    11  Barkley (2)  25  LeBron (3)
3  Shaq        9  Olajuwon     22  Olajuwon
3  Dirk        8  Shaq (2)     19  Barkley (2)
2  Ewing       7  Dirk         17  Wade (4)
2  KJ          5  Magic (1)    15  Kobe (1)
2  Iverson     5  Iverson (1)  14  Magic (5)
2  Kobe        5  Duncan (1)   14  Duncan (2)
2  LeBron      4  Drex/Kobe    13  Bird (2)

Jordan about doubles anyone else, at each of these "super" levels. But Shaq also had monster Finals.
Surely this disparity diminishes when counting games that are not as great?

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25+ GmSc           20+  GmSc         15+  GmSc
84  Jordan (18)   130  Jordan (26)  162  Jordan (31)
65  LeBron (10)   119  LeBron (20)  153  Duncan (21)
54  Shaq (13)      94  Shaq (20)    148  LeBron (24)
52  Olajuwon (5)   91  Duncan (13)  134  Kobe (24)
41  Duncan (6)     90  Kobe (14)    132  Shaq (23)
41  Kobe (4)       89 Olajuwon (10) 123  Malone (7)
40  Dirk (2)       76  Magic (19)   116 Olajuwon (16)
38  Magic (9)      71  Malone (3)    99  Magic (23)
32  Malone (3)     64  Dirk (4)      94  Dirk (6)
30  Barkley (2)    54  Bird (11)     93  Pippen (18)

Jordan had 17 playoff games with GmSc < 15 (Bulls went 6-11). Four occurred in Finals (1-3)
LeBron's had 30 such PO games (team 7-23). Nine times in the Finals (1-8)

In wins and in losses, their median GmSc :

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PO GmSc   W-L    W%    all    Win   Loss
Jordan  119-60  .665  24.6   26.1   21.0
LeBron  115-63  .646  22.5   24.5   18.2

LeBron seems less consistent: The difference, in wins and in losses, is 28% of his norm. For Jordan, it's 21%

[Mike G]

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LeBron  G    Min   eFG%   TS%   TRb%   Ast%   Stl%  Usg%   PER   WS/48   BPM
RS     930  35887  .530  .581   10.8   34.5   2.3   31.7   27.7   .240   9.2
PO     178   7561  .507  .565   12.5   33.4   2.2   32.1   27.4   .234  10.4

EDIT -- Both his ORb% and DRb% go up 15-20% in playoffs.
These career rates -- Usg% and Ast% -- may not accurately reflect what a player tends to do in a given year.
What if, for example, LeBron's Miami years are over-represented in his playoff minutes; and these years coincide with lower Ast% (both in RS and PO) ?

We should look at playoff years and compare each season's RS and PO rates; then weigh by PO minutes and sum them. Rather than Usg%, I'm looking at true shot attempts (FGA + .44*FTA) per 100 possessions.

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.     Regular Seasons              Playoffs        Rate Changes
.yr     tm    TSA   Ast%      Min    TSA   Ast%      TSA   Ast%
2006   Cle   34.7   32.8      604   33.2   28.1     -1.5   -4.7
2007   Cle   32.0   29.1      893   30.4   37.4     -1.6    8.3
2008   Cle   34.9   37.3      552   33.2   40.5     -1.7    3.2
2009   Cle   34.5   38.0      580   38.4   39.5      3.9    1.5
2010   Cle   33.1   41.8      460   29.6   36.8     -3.6   -5.0

2011   Mia   30.6   34.9      922   26.6   27.6     -4.0   -7.3
2012   Mia   31.4   33.6      983   33.5   28.1      2.1   -5.5
2013   Mia   29.2   36.4      960   29.1   30.5      -.1   -5.9
2014   Mia   29.2   32.0      763   29.9   25.6       .8   -6.4

2006-2014    31.8   34.6     6717   31.2   31.9      -.6   -2.6
                      
2015   Cle   31.5   38.6      844   38.7   45.2      7.2    6.6

total        31.8   35.0     7561   32.1   33.4       .3   -1.6

The last 2 columns show that before this past year, his PO Ast% was well below his RS Ast% for 5 straight playoffs. In most playoffs, he also has shot less.

Note: I see that in 4 Miami years, D Wade averaged 26 minutes per team game in RS. In PO he went 37 mpg. That likely contributes to a relatively inflated RS Ast% for non-Wade players.

[Crow]

Took me awhile to click, as I didn't think the topic would interest me; but it is a real close general stat comparison worth recognizing.

[permaximum]

Lebron doesn't pass the simple eye test to compare him to Jordan. The difference is that big imo. However LeBron's stats are better and we know it already. RB% and AST% have always been way above Jordans'.

[bchaikin]

simulation shows lebron's best seasons as generating wins on a per minute basis at a rate similar to that of the best win generating seasons of SFs like julius erving and larry bird...

but as great as that is, it also shows jordan's best seasons (simulating him at SF) generate 3-5 more wins per season than those of lebron on a 40 min/g and 82 game basis...

considering the difference between the best and worst starting players at a particular position in any season is typically 15-16 wins on a 40 min/g and 82 game basis, 3-5 more wins is quite a large difference...

jordan's best seasons he was scoring 30+ pts/g with rates of offensive efficiency (pts/0ptposs) similar to reggie miller. lebron james has had just 2 seasons (12-13 and 13-14) with rates of offensive efficiency similar...

on top of that jordan's rates for defensive rebounding, steals, and blocks - in combination - were outstanding for an SG. add to that 9 years all-D 1st team, including 3 years straight from the ages of 33-35...

[Mike G]

Here's the whole list of players with career Ast% and Reb% as good as Jordan's:

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player   TReb%   Ast%
Kidd      10.0   38.5
Jordan     9.4   24.9
Drexler    9.9   25.2
LeBron    10.8   34.5
Magic     11.1   40.9
McGrady    9.8   26.3
Lever     10.1   26.4

(MCW is also in there, with 9.4 and 33.5, for now)
Of these, Magic is best in both of these rates.

In playoffs, a similar list:

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playoffs  TReb%   Ast%
LeBron     12.5   33.4
Magic      10.9   42.2
Jordan      9.3   28.2
Kidd       10.1   35.9
Rondo       9.4   42.8
McMillan    9.3   32.1
McGrady     9.6   32.9

http://bkref.com/tiny/HCrgM
These are in order of minutes played; LeBron, Magic, and Jordan all have around 7500 PO Min.
Do all these players have 'better stats' than Jordan?

[Mike G]

Worth mentioning: Jordan reached those totals by age 35. LeBron is there at age 30.
After this season, we can't just say Jordan was better. LeBron may well eclipse all other careers; might even say obliterate.
We'll still be able to point out various players' success (titles), pure shooting, certain awards, etc: better than LeBron at certain things.

[Dr Positivity]

Jordan has a more impeccable clutch/playoffs career which I think has as much to do with their style of play as personality. Jordan's ability to hit midrange shots at a Dirk % (judging by NBA.com shooting stats for 97 and 98) make it hard to force any bad game out of him. His shots from the worst spot on the floor go in 50% of the time and he has a baseline of highly efficient shots at the rim and from FT line so what do you do to get a bad shooting game out of him? The other thing that's scary about Jordan is that in addition to hand check rules in modern era he grew up in a far less 3pt-emphasized era, as possibly the best midrange shooter of all time if he have developed in the 2000s, with all that talent hitting shots inside the line, maybe he could've used that to turn himself into a deadly 3pt shooter also. Not Steph Curry but a bigger part of his gam than he showed. The argument against Jordan: An icy personality and we don't know how much having the all time best babysitter coach in Phil Jackson helped maximize his career.