Charles Barkley, Who Battled Michael Jordan for Over a Decade, Believes LeBron James Is the Only Player To Have “Played Great From Day One”

One of the biggest issues in the world of basketball is the Michael Jordan vs LeBron James debate. While some may prefer LeBron, some prefer Jordan. This debate has no end and most of the discussions regarding this topic reach no conclusion.

Many analysts and former players have given their preferences for the Jordan vs LeBron debate and popular analyst and NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley is the latest one to do so. According to him, James edges past Jordan simply because he has been dominating since day one.

Charles Barkley on the Jordan and James debate

LeBron James and Michael Jordan are arguably the greatest players in their era. While MJ has the titles, LeBron has the number. Whenever someone talks about the two, it is always a close debate.

NBA legend Charles Barkley recently talked about who he thinks is better. 

Barkley says, “Let me tell you something, I am an MJ guy, I make that clear. But I think what LeBron has accomplished is arguably the greatest story in sports history. For number one, you look at Kobe, Kevin Garnett, guys like that, they were not good players when they first got into the NBA.”

He further adds, “LeBron is the only player in my 40 years in the NBA, who has played great from day one. And for him to turn into one of the best players ever, he’s never gotten in trouble. Especially in this 24-hour news cycle with social media, for him to be as great as he is from year 18 to where he is at now, I think it’s one of the greatest stories in sports history.”

Despite having played in the same era as Jordan and having been great friends before, Barkley prefers LeBron over Jordan.

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LeBron James vs Michael Jordan

Despite playing in two different eras, the two players are frequently compared. While Jordan has 6 titles to his name, LeBron has 4. Moreover, Jordan has more season MVP awards to his name. LeBron has 4 while Jordan edges past him with 5.

One of the biggest talking points when comparing the two is the finals record. While Michael Jordan has a perfect 6-0 record in finals, LeBron has a 6-4 record in finals.

Jordan retired with an average of 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists. On the other hand, LeBron averages 27.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.4 assists. (Source: landofbasketball.com)

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Who is the GOAT? Is it LeBron James or Michael Jordan or do you have someone else in mind? Let us know in the comments below.