February 14, 2013
MJ vs LJ: 4 Reasons LeBron James’ Brand is Now Beyond Comparison
Wednesday, Miami Heat’s star player LeBron James tweeted “I’m not MJ, I’m LJ†in response to sports critics comparing his career to the great Michael Jordan. Early in his career, James rocked the same No. 23 jersey, and later decided to change to No. 6, but it’s clear that the comparison continues to follow him. Below we’ve rounded up four good reasons James’ NBA brand surely has its own lane and why the comparison talk may be getting a bit old.
1. LeBron entered the NBA right after high school. Entering the professional league straight out of high school provides a far different career experience for players who entered the league after college. At age of 28, LeBron already has ten years in the league under his belt versus Jordan who didn’t enter the league until he was 21.
2. LeBron already has over 20,000 career points. In a January 2013 game against Golden State Warriors, James became the youngest player in NBA history to score over 20,000 points. The previous youngest was Kobe Bryant, who at 29-years-old was a year older than LeBron when he broke the record.
3. LeBron’s shot at least 60% from the field in 6 straight games: Breaking another record against the Portland Trail Blazers on Feb. 12, James is the first player in NBA history to shoot at least 60 percent from the field and score at least 30 points in 6 straight games tweets the NBA.
4. LeBron’s appeared on the cover of Vogue. If you snag a cover on the fashion Bible, then it’s safe to say you have been accepted into the fashion world. In a 2008 controversial cover with model Gisele Bundchen, LeBron became the first African-American male to ever grace the cover of America’s biggest fashion magazine.