Why Michael Jordan is the Superior Defender to LeBron James:

A Thread:

I wanna start by saying, being the more versatile defender does NOT mean your the better defender.

LeBron is bigger than MJ so naturally, he can match up against larger players.

It’s a myth that LeBron can defend 1-5. He’s never shown the ability to effectively defend any true center.

That’s nothing more than a lazy media driven narrative.

LeBron can effectively guard 2-4. Jordan can effectively guard 1-3.

Let’s start off simple. Let’s look at defensive accomplishments for both players. This isn’t the “end all, be all” but they should still be weighed.

MJ: 1x DPOY, 9x 1st Team All-Defensive selections

LeBron: 0x DPOY, 5x 1st Team All-Defensive selections

Jordan has also led the entire NBA in steals on 3 separate occasions, and averaged at least 2+ steals per game in 10 seasons.

LeBron had never led the league in steals, and only averaged better than 2 steals in one season.

(Steals are only a small part of defense, I’m aware)

In terms of Blocks, Jordan averaged the same amount of blocks as LeBron, despite being two inches shorter.

Jordan also had two seasons where he recorded at least 200 steals and 100 blocks.

LeBron has no seasons doing either...

Let’s look at Defensive player of the year voting. And where both players were able to finish.

Top 5 Finishes:

MJ - 6
LeBron - 5

Top 10 Finishes:

MJ - 9
LeBron - 7

In terms of advanced stats, Jordan had a higher DBPM for his career as well as a higher Defensive Rating compared to LeBron.

Jordan was simply a more fundamentally sound defender. He was also quicker moving side to side.

His large hands allowed him to easily get deflections and cause havoc in the passing lanes in ways LeBron was never capable.

He was more relentless and took pride in playing defense

Jordan was never hunted for on Defense. People didn’t run plays on his side of the floor.

LeBron has been. 2011 NBA Finals. Jordan was never accused of resting consistently throughout entire seasons on defense like LeBron has.

In conclusion, yes LeBron is the more versatile defender. He’s simply larger. And he was great during his peak. But Jordan was the superior defender. He was more consistent, had better IQ, and was more relentless. He had better hands and was more impactful on defense.

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