NBA fans have been engaging in a never-ending debate regarding who is the undisputed GOAT of basketball between Michael Jordan and LeBron James. There cannot be too many members of the basketball community unaware of this debate and almost every NBA analyst and fan seems to have their own opinion and preference on who the GOAT is.
While both LeBron and MJ are undoubtedly NBA legends, fans have always looked for ways to compare the two of them and see how they stack up. One way is to find out how both of them have performed with Team USA throughout their professional playing careers.
With that being said, let us take a closer look at how King James and His Airness compare in terms of their performance for Team USA. It might interest fans to hear that Jordan never played in the FIBA World Cup. On the other hand, LeBron has only played there once. Therefore, we should find out how both these NBA legends have done in the Olympics.
How many times have LeBron James and Michael Jordan represented Team USA in the Olympics?
Many sports fans will know that the Olympics is an incredibly prestigious international sports event that has been around for several hundred years. In fact, reports have revealed that the Olympics began sometime all the way back in 776 AD. That means that the tournament has been going on for over 1,000 years.
Although sports such as basketball were introduced much later, winning an Olympic gold medal for one’s country is considered an amazing honor and accomplishment. LeBron has participated in three Olympics so far in his NBA career. Veteran fans will remember that King James was a part of the Team USA squad in 2004, 2008, and 2012. He won a bronze medal the first time with Team USA and won gold the other two times.
On the other hand, Jordan has only participated in two Olympics throughout his career. They were in 1984 and 1992. Both times MJ managed to help Team USA win the gold medal. Fans who know the structure of the Olympics will be aware that teams making it to the finals must win 8 games for the gold medal.
Throughout the 24 games that LeBron James has played in the Olympics, he has averaged 11.4 points, 4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. Jordan played in 16 games and averaged 16 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
As we can tell from these numbers. MJ undoubtedly had the upper hand in terms of pure scoring at the Olympics. However, LeBron James was better in other statistical categories such as assists and rebounds. In any case, fans should decide for themselves which NBA star did better in the Olympics.