Lakers forward LeBron James dunks against the Mavericks in Dallas on Jan. 24. | IMAGN IMAGES / VIA REUTERS
By ian o’connor
The Athletic
Aug 2, 2026
Tiebreakers. That’s what LeBron James is playing for. Tiebreakers for the undecided voters still trying to figure out how to measure his NBA career against Michael Jordan’s.
The hardened Jordan loyalists will never waver, just as the hardened James loyalists will never budge. Whatever happens in Philadelphia over the next one, two or three years will not compel them to jump from one side to the other.
But there are a lot of independents out there who have watched both careers and still bounce between Jordan, a six-time champion with the Chicago Bulls, and James. It is a sports bar debate that will never truly be settled. And that’s the beauty of the whole thing. Ranking titanic figures from different eras might be a silly exercise to some, but this type of debate is also the one thing sports is supposed to be.
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