Michael Jordan vs LeBron James: The 15-Year Comparison That Could End The GOAT Debate

#9 The improbability of their stories

LeBron hugs his mother Gloria after getting drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers

It is a matter of huge surprise that Hollywood hasn't yet picked up on the opportunity to make a movie on the behind-the-screen lives of possibly the two greatest black athletes in the last 50 years. Not only have they been the greatest at their craft, both of these players have stories so improbable that they would make for classic Hollywood biopics.

LeBron James's story is one of the most inspirational rags-to-riches story of any player in any game ever.

James was born to a 16-year-old mother, Gloria Marie James. His father, Anthony McClelland, was reportedly Gloria's casual boyfriend with an extensive criminal record. Gloria raised the child on her own. When James was growing up, life was often a struggle for the family, as they moved from apartment to apartment in the seedier neighborhoods of Akron while Gloria struggled to find steady work.

Realizing that her son would be better off in a more stable family environment, Gloria allowed him to move in with the family of Frank Walker, a local youth football coach, who introduced James to basketball when he was nine years old. Walker played the role of a father figure to James from that point on, and James' natural talent shone through ever since. As a freshman at St. Vincent St. Mary's High School in Akron, he averaged 21 points and 6 rebounds.

The hype kept building till his senior high school year as James dominated the high school scene in Ohio like few players in USA basketball history. All of his games as a senior were televised, and James was tipped to succeed Michael Jordan as the game's greatest player. His stats as a senior - 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 3.4 steals per game - are surpassed only by Kobe Bryant for Lower Merion High School in Philadelphia.

He is the only player to sign with Nike for a signature shoe as a high school player, with a 7-year, $90 million deal. He was featured on Sports Illustrated's cover as a 17-year-old and is the most hyped prospect to enter the NBA in the storied history of the league.

His first 7 years were a case of languishing on a bad roster with only him as an elite player, and he still made the Finals once in 2007. His move to Miami turned many basketball fans against him for the manner in which he did it, but 4 straight Finals appearances in that time coupled with 2 championships are a neat return and justify him against any criticism.

He further increased his legend with a comeback in the NBA Finals in 2016 from 2-0, and then 3-1 down, effectively erasing memories of his meltdown in 2011 against the Mavericks. He does have a lot of time to add to his increasing legend, and as basketball fans one would hope he wins a couple of championships more because of his relentless drive to be the greatest.

Michael Jordan's early life wasn't riddled with the kind of struggle LeBron had to go through, but his story since entering the league is probably the only one in sports history that's literally stranger than fiction. The Michael Jordan story was better than anything Hollywood could have come up with.

He finished his rookie year leading his team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. Yet, he was frozen out in the All-Star game by Isaiah Thomas. He broke his foot in his second year before coming back to an awful Bulls team that only won 21 games without him in 64 tries.

If Jordan hadn't left for two years there is at worst a high likelihood he would have won eight straight championships, maybe 9 if Jerry Kraus was willing to loosen his purse for Scottie Pippen.

He won 2 dunk titles, and led the league in scoring and steals in the same season THREE TIMES. He scored over 37 points a game for a full season. He's the only player to win MVP honors, the scoring title and Defensive Player of the Year award for the same season.

He recorded a triple-double in 10 out of 11 games when they experimented with him at the point guard position. All of that without any sort of freak of nature size and weight advantage over other players.

He won his first title in 1991 against the best all-around player Magic Johnson at the time. His next postseason campaign pitted him against Knicks when he pulled off that barely believable corner slide move and dunked on Ewing. He hit 6 threes in one half of a Finals game against Drexler.

He was a member of the original Dream Team. He played the dynasty Celtics at their peak in the first round and record a playoff record 63 points in a loss (a record that has endured the test of time). He threw down a free throw line dunk competing against Nique in the second dunk contest. Later on, he had to play against the Bad Boy Pistons dynasty who used the Jordan Rules, sweeping them in 1991 with the Pistons leaving the floor early at the end of game 4.

He averaged over 40 points per game against his buddy Barkley in the 1993 NBA Finals. The murder of his dad devastated him, egging him on to pursue baseball to fulfill his late father's dream.

He returned late in the 1994-95 season with the number 45 but made a critical error that knocked them out of the playoffs in 1995. Fueled by his competitive vengefulness, the Bulls put together the best team two-year run ever, with a record of 141-23. "This was for you, dad." were his words following his 1996 triumph.

1998 NBA Finals, Game 6. In Utah. With the Bulls down by 3 with under a minute left, he drives from coast to coast for a layup. Down 1, he stripped Hall of Famer Malone of the ball in the spot he had been killing them all series long. Jordan hovered in a blind spot for the steal. Walks the ball up the court. Pause. Drive. Love tap. A jumper from 18 feet. Hold it. Swish.

Edge: Michael Jordan