The case for why LeBron James is a better basketball player than Michael Jordan

Let's get one thing straight right off the bat: This is not an argument LeBron James is the greatest basketball player of all time.

Greatness and excellence are two different concepts, and we plan to explore the relationship between them, our conversations about basketball immortality, and how they pertain to The King and His Airness later this week.

For now, we are breaking down LeBron and Michael Jordan, as basketball players, into their individual components, to prove that the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar is the most talented, physically gifted and intelligent player in NBA history.

And really, LeBron should be better than Jordan. He, like the rest of us in these modern times, stands on the shoulders of giants. He has the benefit of far greater nutrition, training regimens, technology and knowledge of the game than the all-timers who came before him.

And LeBron has put all of those advantages to good use. Without further ado, here's all the evidence you'll ever need to prove LeBron James is a better basketball player than Jordan was -- a 13-category comparison of how their games stack up. 

A word of warning — if you hate math, you're not going to like some of these arguments.

Facts win here in the real world, though, where LeBron is simply a better scorer inside the arc than Jordan, making 54.3 percent of his 2-point attempts compared to MJ's 51.0 percent. 

There are qualitative arguments in Jordan's favor, sure. He was better at making difficult shots, he took more attempts, so his percentage was naturally a little lower, and modern defenders can't try to limit LeBron with the hand-check.

But Jordan's contemporaries couldn't zone him up and ignore his teammates, either, so the numbers don't lie.

Not even the biggest Jordan fan can argue for MJ on this one.

Jordan was a career 32.7 percent shooter from deep on 1.7 attempts per game (to LeBron's 34.2 percent on 4.0 attempts), and His Airness received an assist from the NBA's decision to move the 3-point line in to 22 feet all the way around the arc for his 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons.

You might be surprised to learn Jordan and LeBron have averaged the same number of free-throw attempts per game, at 8.2. We certainly were, as we associate Jordan with non-stop physical beatdowns from opponents and his uncanny ability to finish through contact.

Percentage-wise, though, this isn't a contest. MJ beats out LeBron, 83.5 percent to 74.0 percent (and falling for The King).

Michael Jeffrey Jordan got buckets. It's what he was put on this planet to do — well, that and win NBA championships.

He took 3.3 more shots per game than LeBron has for his career and scored 3.0 more points per game, meaning he has just over a 4,500-point regular-season scoring advantage in only 11 more total games.

Of course, a little bit of critical thinking might make you wonder whether scoring three more points on three more shots per game is really that impressive ...

Even with his free-throw shooting woes, LeBron has a higher true shooting percentage (58.4 to 56.9 percent), and he trails MJ's career PER of 27.9 by just 0.3 points despite averaging three fewer points per game for his career.

Suffice it to say that if LeBron wanted to be more of a scorer, instead of a playmaker, he could average Jordan-esque scoring totals.

We probably don't need to spend too much time making the case that the guy who gets criticized for passing too much is a better passer than the ruthless scoring machine, right? Bringing numbers to this conversation would be gilding the lily.

Next!

The bigger man is obviously a better rebounder, and though LeBron's 7.3 rebounds per game might not seem to stack up that well with Jordan's 6.2, remember that the NBA played at a quicker pace during MJ's prime. Per 100 possessions, LeBron averages 9.8 boards, compared to Jordan's 8.3 (which is still an impressive number for his 6-foot-6 Airness).

Jordan was a more tenacious defender for his position, and he excelled at shutting down opponents one-on-one. He also had Scottie Pippen to take on the toughest defensive challenges.

At his best, LeBron can guard all five positions, and he has a Kevin Garnett-esque ability to direct his teammates to eliminate any possible threat. That advantage as a team defender gives LeBron a slight edge.

LeBron is bigger, faster, stronger, smarter (sorry, but it's true; as Skip Bayless said this week, LeBron has the highest basketball IQ since Magic Johnson), and more durable than his rival for the title of greatest of all time.

I mean, he's considered the GOAT by the majority of the universe for a reason.

Jordan was so clutch that he even gets credit for being clutch the times that his teammates won the game (and championship) for him — because when you have the killer-est of killer instincts, everything on the court happens as a result of your will.

I'm kidding, but only slightly. The specter of a Jordan game winner opened up the court for John Paxson, Steve Kerr, and every other Bulls victory in the waning moments, no matter who took the final shot.

Jordan's leadership style boiled down to "Follow in my wake, and don't get in my way."

LeBron makes his teammates better, lifts them up, and doesn't try to punch them in the face in practice — just another example of how he's far more Magic than Michael.

LeBron is one season shy of matching Jordan's 15 years in the NBA, yet he trails MJ by just 11 total regular-season games played — and he outpaces him in minutes per game, at an average of 38.9 to Jordan's 38.3. He's also played 33 more playoff games, averaging 0.3 more minutes per game in the postseason than Jordan did.

And don't give me any of that "LeBron plays under easier rules!" nonsense. While defenders can't knock The King to the court like they did Jordan, they wouldn't have a whole lot of success if they tried, anyway. As for the whole rest thing? Jordan played in an era when guys went one-on-one and the rest of both teams stood watching, giving everyone a little bit of a breather.

Throw in today's non-stop movement and sophisticated defenses, combine Jordan's infamous off-court lifestyle, and there's every reason to believe MJ would have needed another retirement to find the energy to win six rings.

Of course, about those rings ...

We'd be remiss not to mention Jordan's laundry list of accolades relative to LeBron here, of course, since that's why you play the game.

Fom titles to scoring championships, The King can't touch His Airness, but this isn't about who has the most hardware. The question is who was the better basketball player. So ...

When you break it down by the tale of the tape, the case is clear: Jordan is a better, more clutch scorer with a more accomplished career, but LeBron is the better all-around basketball player. 

But if you don't want to believe me, I'll let FS1's Nick Wright explain, as he did recently on "Undisputed" with Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe:

 "If we're talking about accomplishments, Jordan's not the GOAT. It's Kareem. And if it's not Kareem, it's probably [Bill] Russell.

"So we're not really talking about accomplishments. We're talking about, 'Who's the best?' Who's the best? One game to decide your life, who do you want in all-time history? So for LeBron to pass Jordan, he needs a time machine to go back about 11 months, when he passed him the first time.

"LeBron's been the best player ever since about midway-point of Game 6 of last year's Finals, and all he's done since then is continued it. He's on the greatest streak in postseason history since [Draymond Green] called him the b-word, and Klay [Thompson] said his feelings were hurt.

"He's played 16 games, his team's 15-1, giving you 34-9-8 and 55 percent shooting. And when we're just comparing the two players, LeBron averages more rebounds, assists, blocks than Jordan, shoots a better percentage from two, shoots a better percentage from three, is the more versatile defender, can guard all five positions — he can do everything Jordan could do, but better.

"So what does he need to do to pass Michael Jordan? He already done passed Michael Jordan as far as who's the best player ever."