The Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James GOAT debate is never-ending. There are always different criteria—who won more championships, how tough the competition was, and more.
Related: Dan Patrick: LeBron James will never surpass Michael Jordan in the GOAT debate, even with 7 rings
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One of the newest points of argument is comparing the two greats at age 40. Not many players have played at age 40 and most weren’t too good.
Jordan and LeBron are the two best players at age 40 in NBA history and it’s not up for debate. Most use this argument to enhance LeBron’s GOAT placement, as King James is certainly the better player at 40.
The problem with comparing the two players at this advanced age is the style of play in the league. When Jordan was on the Washington Wizards, the game was played slowly with a lot of defense.
Today, the game is fast-paced with little defensive effort by most teams, outside of the Oklahoma City Thunder. So, what does this mean?
Sometimes, stats can be deceiving. A player can have great stats but really they played poorly. Meaning, most of their stats came when it was garbage time, for example.
This can make a player look as if they played better than they really did. And with today’s high-pace and lack of defense, it is easier to accumulate stats.
Recently on X, a user shared a graphic comparing Jordan and LeBron at age 40. They used the plus-minus rating as their criteria.
This is a great metric to use, as it shows how effective a player was while he was on the floor. In 2002-03, Jordan was +6 while on the floor. This season, LeBron was a -54 while playing.
40yo Jordan played all 82 games and was +6 for the 37-45 Wizards with his best teammates Jerry Stackhouse and Larry Hughes, 1st among regular starters in +/- and the only regular starter besides Brendan Haywood (+2) in the positive.
40yo LeBron played 70 games and was -54 for… pic.twitter.com/SjvkjvkBv7
— Apex Jones (@ApexJones22) May 25, 2025
This is an incredibly bad look for LeBron. Especially since you factor in LeBron was the only player to make an All-NBA Team with a negative plus-minus rating.
Does this settle the Jordan vs. LeBron GOAT argument? No. Ultimately, fans of Jordan are going to pick him no matter what and the same can be said about LeBron fans.
It’s time to enjoy both players and respect what they brought to the game. Without Jordan and LeBron, the NBA wouldn’t be the league we know it as today.
