LeBron James chosen as NBA GOAT over Jordan by 29 US states after 2020 title win

The LeBron James vs Michael Jordan debate has been going on since the Los Angeles Lakers star started putting up numbers in the league. While the two have been compared over various skills and the eras they played in, many NBA stars and fans believe James' fewer championships prevent him from being on the same level as Michael Jordan. As per recent reports, James' fourth NBA title with the Lakers may have tipped the odds in his favour for most fans in America. 

Also read | The Undertaker chooses Michael Jordan over LeBron James as his NBA GOAT: LeBron vs MJ

New stats show US States chose LeBron James as GOAT over Michael Jordan after NBA Finals 2020

LeBron James vs Michael Jordan GOAT Debate across all 50 states pic.twitter.com/D4c8YOaU0B

— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) November 4, 2020

After the Los Angeles Lakers won the championship by beating the Miami Heat, data was collected by geotagging. As per the map provided, a total of 29 states voted for James as the GOAT. While the tags cover which states prefer James, the specific numbers were not calculated. Fans continued the debate in the comments section, some defending Jordan. In May, another poll conducted showed that 73% of fans chose Jordan in that debate.

Also read | LeBron James carries the Larry O'Brien trophy to the Lakers' Las Vegas celebrations: NBA Finals 2020

As per most fans, Jordan played in a more difficult era, where winning six champions in eight years was not easy. However, some pointed out that it is even more difficult to win multiple NBA titles now. "These ain’t the results we been waitin on!" one fan wrote, joking about the US Elections results. One user pointed out that because the data is after the finals, it favours James. If the results were calculated after The Last Dance, Jordan could have won. 

Also read | LeBron James watches Michael Jordan's The Last Dance as "homework" after bagging his 4th NBA title

The James-Jordan debate was also discussed after Jordan's docuseries was released. People compared their eras while talking about the Chicago Bulls legend undoubtedly being the GOAT. NBA greats like Magic Johnson have chosen Jordan over James, narrowing it down to Jordan winning more titles. Per Johnson, James needs a few more titles before being considered at Jordan's level. 

Also read | Michael Jordan labels public's NBA GOAT debate ft. LeBron James as "unfair parallel": LeBron vs MJ

LeBron James has 348 points in 10 games in the 2018 #NBAPlayoffs. The last player with that many points through his first 10 games of one postseason was Michael Jordan in the 1992 playoffs (354 points). @EliasSports pic.twitter.com/pp4PSMxRM1

— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) May 6, 2018

James, who started playing the year Jordan retired, led the Lakers to their 17th NBA title this year. While it was James' fourth title, the Lakers won a championship after a whole decade. Lakers fans were elated at the victory, especially after James had promised to win and continue Kobe Bryant's legacy. He won two titles with the Heat, before winning the Cleveland Cavaliers their first NBA title in 2016. 

Jordan and the Bulls ruled the 90s, though, winning six titles in eight years. Jordan retired after his first two-peat to go play baseball but returned after a year and a half to win three more titles. Jordan, as per the NBA, is the greatest player of all time by acclamation. 

(Image credits: NBA site)