“Michael Jordan Was Retired at This Age, LeBron James Is Winning Chips”: GOAT Debate Gets Heated Amidst Strong Longevity Claim

If the award for consistency and high performance were to be given to an NBA player, nobody is more deserving than LeBron James. Even at age 37, the ‘King’ defies the odds and puts up insane numbers for his Los Angeles Lakers. In fact, he averages the 4th highest points per game among all NBA players this season. Clearly, it doesn’t look like LeBron is stopping anytime soon.

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This speaks volumes about his longevity. With basketball being a highly physical sport, LeBron is at the age where most players tend to be in the declining times of their career, or have already retired. But not LeBron. He still stands tall in the face of father time. In light of this longevity, the GOAT debate between LeBron and Jordan took a new twist where the ‘King’ had the upper hand.

The Longevity Argument

As things stand today, most consider Jordan the GOAT. But the battle between him and LeBron is quite close. In fact, according to ESPN’s rankings of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, Jordan is ranked number 1 while LeBron is number 2. However, in terms of longevity, the ‘King’ has the edge. This factor was explained during the ‘SPEAK FOR YOURSELF’ talk show.

“What was Michael Jordan doing at this age of his basketball career? He was retired,” said co-host Emmanuel Acho.

“While Michael Jordan was retired at this age, LeBron James is out here winning chips,” he explained with reference to LeBron winning the 2020 NBA title at age 35.

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Acho explained that LeBron was “outdoing” Jordan by winning the title at 35 years old, while MJ was retired at the same age. Moreover, he added that although LeBron won 1 title in 4 years at LA, he is still playing at a high level in comparison to MJ at the same age.

LeBron James this Season

Since signing for the Lakers in 2018, LeBron has always been the frontman of the franchise. In fact, he still continues his dominance despite the team enduring a poor season. In the Lakers’ latest victory, they edged over the Utah Jazz behind an amazing 33 point performance from the ‘King’. This is really quite amazing at 37 years old.

As stated earlier, LeBron averages the 4th highest points per game at 29.1. Moreover, he also averages nearly 7 assists and 8 rebounds per game. Additionally, his scoring and assists have generated 28.5% of the total points scored by the Lakers this season. Clearly, his impact on the Lakers is still large even at 37 years old. As the season goes on, the Lakers will rely on him for their success.

What is your take on this never-ending debate? Let us know in the comments!