Who was more athletic in their primes/peak: Lebron James vs. Michael Jordan

[QUOTE=Indian guy]LeBron

Give both MJ and LeBron similar skill-level and basketball IQ, who would be the more productive player? LeBron, easily. I can't imagine MJ putting up the numbers LeBron did from 06-08 [B]with a jumper that weak[/B]. LeBron basically averaged 30/8/7 for 3 consecutive seasons while shooting in the mid-30's on jump shots. [B]He simply had a GODLY body.[/B][/QUOTE]
Just when I thought you were just an ignorant you turned out to be gay also

[QUOTE=1Time4YourMind]MJ had that finesse, agility and body control that clearly surpasses Lebron's (tho Cav Lebron's body control was very very very good as well), which made him so much more fun to watch. those 3 traits are all athletic qualities that work well in bball so I would give MJ the edge here.[/QUOTE]

THIS

[QUOTE=Indian guy]LeBron

Give both MJ and LeBron similar skill-level and basketball IQ, who would be the more productive player? LeBron, easily. I can't imagine MJ putting up the numbers LeBron did from 06-08 with a jumper that weak. LeBron basically averaged 30/8/7 for 3 consecutive seasons while shooting in the mid-30's on jump shots. He simply had a GODLY body.[/QUOTE]

If anything that's more because of the era Bron is playing in. Jordan is clearly more agile and nimble off the dribble. If Lebron had to contend with hand checking and frankly having to deal with physical play instead of getting every little touch foul...his numbers wouldn't be near what they were 06-08.

[quote=Round Mound]THIS[/quote]

Barkley sucks

if we measure athleticism by just speed, hops, and strength, then lebron had a stronger total package.

but basketball ain't all about that... jordan was slick and moved like mosquito. people tend to disregard agility and fluiditiy as forms of athleticism. jordan got that sh!t all day. no way in hell he gets shut out from driving into the hole from the dallas zone.

Forget the athletic stuff, what made MJ great was his mental toughness, he was gonna kick your ass and there wasn't a god damned thing you could do about it, he didn't shy away from the big moment, when the game was on the line, he DEMANDED the ball, he would take over the game but he was also smart enough that if he got double teamed, he would kick it out to Paxson or Kerr.

LBJ shrinks when he needs to step up and take over in the 4th and it has to do with his mentality, I have no idea how he can improve on that but he will have to or he will stay ringless.

WTF :facepalm :facepalm

MJ: 1985 Slam Dunk Runner Up at age 21.
MJ: 1987 Slam Dunk Champion at age 23.
MJ: 1988 Slam Dunk Champion at age 24.

The only reason why MJ missed 1986 Slam Dunk contest because of broken foot.
The only reason why MJ missed 1989 Slam Dunk contest because of Groin injury
The only reason why MJ missed 1990 Slam DUnk contest because he wanted to give others a chance to win.

LBJ missed Slam Dunk Contest because he cannot create athletic innovative dunks & will make fool of himself in dunk contest.

[QUOTE=Harison]Stronger Lebron, but overall Jordan was more athletic.

Lets see - coordination, flexibility, precision, power, speed, endurance, balance, awareness efficiency, better hops (considering height) and timing.

At what Lebron is better? At power, thats it.[/QUOTE]

I concur with your overall point, but ironically enough, last year on [i]Sportscenter[/i], Robert Horry stated that while everyone talks about James' strength, Jordan proved exceptionally strong in his own right, implying that he was no less strong than LeBron. And of course, Horry played against both men.

Overall, I'd say that Jordan constituted the better athlete because of how he combined finesse with explosiveness, but James is the more unique athlete given his combination of size and explosiveness.

[QUOTE=DCL]if we measure athleticism by just speed, hops, and strength, then lebron had a stronger total package.

but basketball ain't all about that... jordan was slick and moved like mosquito. people tend to disregard agility and fluiditiy as forms of athleticism. jordan got that sh!t all day. no way in hell he gets shut out from driving into the hole from the dallas zone.[/QUOTE]

I'm not sure that James is better at any of those first three attributes; see my previous post.

But your salient point is correct: aspects such as fluidity, balance, coordination, and agility must also be reckoned with and Jordan enjoys clear edges in those areas.

[QUOTE=GMATCallahan]I concur with your overall point, but ironically enough, last year on [i]Sportscenter[/i], Robert Horry stated that while everyone talks about James' strength, Jordan proved exceptionally strong in his own right, implying that he was no less strong than LeBron. And of course, Horry played against both men.

Overall, I'd say that Jordan constituted the better athlete because of how he combined finesse with explosiveness, but James is the more unique athlete given his combination of size and explosiveness.[/QUOTE]
is kevin johnson more athletic than both of them?

:D

[QUOTE=Indian guy]LeBron

Give both MJ and LeBron similar skill-level and basketball IQ, who would be the more productive player? LeBron, easily. I can't imagine MJ putting up the numbers LeBron did from 06-08 with a jumper that weak. LeBron basically averaged 30/8/7 for 3 consecutive seasons while shooting in the mid-30's on jump shots. He simply had a GODLY body.[/QUOTE]

In other words, if James possessed a better jump-shot, he would have been averaging 32-37 points per game, like Jordan from 1987-1990 and again in 1993 ...

[url]http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jordami01.html[/url]

Jordan averaged well over 30 points per contest in several seasons, thus negating your argument.

[QUOTE=Soundwave]The tendancy would be to say LeBron, but IMO Jordan dunked on far more people and was far more creative with the basketball in the air.

[b]LeBron had power, but he doesn't really play a power game (sits on the perimeter mostly).[/b]

Jordan was quicker and more agile.[/QUOTE]

Hence the incongruity in James' game that has eventually risen to the surface in the majority of the last five postseasons, thus costing him a championship.

Magic Johnson developed a credible jump-shot, but imagine if he needed to constantly revert to a perimeter game rather than posting-up and playing middle-in.

[QUOTE=Laimbeer_Rodman]Just when I thought you were just an ignorant you turned out to be gay also[/QUOTE]
I'm sorry this made me laugh too

:oldlol:

MJ. He had one of the quickest feet.He was more agile.Much better hangtime..Better leaper.He was strong as hell for his size.

Lebron is probably only stronger.What makes Lebron's unique is he has almost Jordan like athleticism with almost body of Malone.

Jordan in prime was one of the quickest players ever.And let's not even talk about his hang time.He was almost walking in the air.

[QUOTE=ronniec]agree.

Lebron is just like a truck that goes straight forward. All strength and power but that's it. If a team plays defense and zone and jamming the box, he can't change directions like Wade and will just hit the wall.[/QUOTE]

Yes, James doesn't really slither or maneuver much and even a far less explosive athlete such as Magic Johnson proved greatly superior in that regard. To compensate, James needs the post-up game that he has never developed with any consistency or comprehensiveness.