The debate of who is the greatest basketball player of all time will never end, but that debate is probably the most interesting one in the world of basketball. Michael Jordan is considered the best one whoever did it, especially by the older generation, but the younger fans are seeing LeBron James as the GOAT.

Both MJ and LeBron dominated the game in their era but never faced each other, which makes the decision tougher. The first thing that comes to mind when this discussion takes place is the stats. Jordan has won more championship rings, has never lost a final series, but on the other hand, LeBron has won with three different teams, played in 10 NBA finals, and has surpassed MJ on the NBA All-time leading scorers list.

This means that the stats cannot solve this question so we will need to talk facts. So here are three facts that put MJ on a level that is still above LeBron’s reach.

The NBA season lasts from six to eight months depending on how deep the team will go into the Playoffs and teams need to play between 82 and 110 games. No doubt that the teams need to do load management and players need to take care of their bodies in order to be fully loaded when it counts the most.

LeBron James has been fully aware of this and has often used a night off. Well MJ didn’t. Jordan never took a night off, maybe not even a playoff. He understood his responsibility to the game and the fans and he never managed his load. He never gave a regular-season audience anything less than his best.

And if you compare the eras when they dominated, MJ played in an era when he was often physically assaulted by his opponents and that wasn’t even a flagrant foul. In LeBron’s era, the game is much softer and LeBron has used his physical dominance in any way possible.

If you think of Michael Jordan, the only team that comes to your mind is the Chicago Bulls. When do you think of LeBron James, which team exactly comes to your mind? Is it the Cleveland Cavaliers where he started, the team that he disappointed with “the decision” and later returned to win a single championship? Or is it the Miami Heat where he joined superstars to win two championships in 4 seasons? Or is it the Lakers where he won one championship in three seasons?

So if a player thinks that he is the greatest of all time he should probably feel he has enough to win NBA championships on his own, as crazy as that sounds. MJ had just that. Yes, he had Scottie Pippen next to him, but he was there since he stepped his foot on an NBA court and grew next to MJ as the best second man in the league.

LeBron on the other hand tried to do the same with the Cavs, but when he failed to do so he joined forces with other superstars in Miami who were his rivals and he still won only two championships in four years.

His return to the Cavs and bringing the first championship to the city deserves all the respect but he still had a lot of demands before he decided to return.

When he arrived at LA, he was pushing for a trade that will send half of the Lakers roster to New Orleans for Anthony Davis which eventually happened in his second season at Staples. It was a great move by the Lakers which brought them their 17th championship, but LeBron was overshadowed by his younger teammate something that was proved once again this season when LeBron couldn’t carry his team over the Phoenix Suns with Davis being sidelined.

Jordan has a book full of highlight-reel moments in the Finals. The mid-air, switched-handed layup against the Lakers in 1991, the five first-half threes against the Blazers in 1993, the pose after his game-winning shot against the Jazz in 1998.

Which moment LeBron has from the Finals? Yes, the blocked shot against the Warriors in 2016 with two minutes left to go in the game 7. The other significant moments from his championship series belong to Ray Allen and Kyrie Irving.