LeBron James and Michael Jordan are two superstars who have been compared in almost all aspects of basketball. But, when it comes to longevity, LeBron always seems to have an edge over Jordan. Agent Zero, Gilbert Arenas, recently raved over LeBron James beginning his 21st NBA season on the current Gil’s Arena podcast. Not only that, but Arenas believes he is doing it while remaining at the peak of his game.
The former NBA player went on to draw a comparison between the two legends when they were the same age. Arenas compared LeBron to 38-year-old Michael Jordan. The 2003 Most Improved Player hinted that LBJ was dominating the NBA. Jordan, on the other hand, appeared to be extremely “old” while playing for the Washington Wizards.
AIN’T SH*T GONE BE DIFFERENT IN YEAR 21 😂😂😂😭😭😭😭😭
BRON AVERAGED 27 ON ONE LEG AT 38 pic.twitter.com/T1W7VVn9xX
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) October 3, 2023
“I wish I was LeBron right now. I would start saying ‘Hey man, compare me to Michael Jordan right now. When we was at the same age, was he putting up 27 a game? Nah, he(Michael Jordan) was on the Wizards. But he wasn’t doing what I’m doing right now. Jordan looked like he was old on the Wizards, I look like I’m still 21.’ That’d be my drop the mic in the end,” Arenas said.
James will turn 39 before the conclusion of the season, but he is coming off a season in which he averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists. LBJ did miss 27 games due to a ruptured tendon in his right foot, but his performance last season was unequaled in league history.
How did Michael Jordan perform for the Wahington Wizards?
The iconic picture of “The Last Shot” served as the ideal capstone to Michael Jordan’s legacy. The greatest player to ever pick up a basketball could have finished his NBA career on the highest conceivable note. But Jordan had other plans, as he expressed his intention to return to the hardwood after a three-year absence. He sold his team ownership share and attended Wizards media day as a 38-year-old player.
Michael Jordan was looking awful two months into the season. This is not to claim he had looked horrible in all of his first 26 games with the Wizards; that was debatable. Some figures were forgiving, like 23 points, six rebounds, and five assists each night, while others were harsher, with a shooting percentage barely above 40.
Jordan averaged 21.2 points, 4.4 assists, and 5.9 rebounds per game in 142 games during his two-year stay in DC. These numbers are not awful given that he was 38 and 39 years old over those two seasons. He would even score 40+ points on many occasions, including a game-high 51 points in December 2001.
While many consider this two-year tenure to be a blot on the legacy of one of the greatest players in history, it also brought the Washington Wizards the most national attention they have ever gotten. The Jordan craze was genuine, and it benefited the Wizards for a brief time while damaging the long-term development of the team’s young players.