Why LeBron James will never surpass Michael Jordan

Defensively, it’s not close

LeBron is a very, very good defender. I won’t ever say differently. The thing is, though, Jordan was even better. Let’s take a look at a couple of facts, first:

• Jordan won NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the 1987-1988 season

• LeBron has never won NBA Defensive Player of the Year

• Jordan made All Defensive Team nine times in 15 seasons played

• LeBron has made All Defensive Team six times in 15 seasons played

Opinions are great, but those are the facts. Here is another one: Jordan played in a much more physical era.

I get it. Today’s NBA is different because players are quicker, faster and more athletic than they were 20-to-30 years ago. But, I would bet Jordan still dominates defensively today. He was as relentless, if not more, on the defensive side of the ball than he was offensively. With the ball in his hands, he made a lot of what he did look effortless.

On defense? The man was a workhorse, and you could tell.

Today’s league is so much different because of how games are called. Teams cannot implement as physical of a strategy, or they’ll suffer the consequences. Remember the “Bad Boys?” Those Detroit Pistons were nasty. That’s the era Jordan played in. He had to keep up with some of the most physical and unruly characters the NBA has ever seen.

Jordan was, and always will be, a better defender than LeBron.