Twins Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris think alike on a lot of topics, but not when it comes to the Michael Jordan–LeBron James debate. The brothers were asked to pick between Jordan and James on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast, and Markieff went with the former while Marcus went with the latter.
“I say LeBron because just the longevity of the game and being able to play at that level for that long of a time,” Marcus said. “And I like Mike, and Mike was my favorite player, but I’m just saying if you asking me for longevity purposes. Everybody don’t got killer like Mike and Kobe [Bryant], so I ain’t going to say they do, but to be able to last that long and play at that high level, I’mma rock like that.”
James’ longevity is unlike anything we have ever seen. The 40-year-old just averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2024-25. That kind of production is simply ridiculous for someone in their 22nd season in the NBA.
Vince Carter is the only other player to have played 22 seasons, and his numbers in that final campaign were nowhere near those of James’. Carter averaged just 5.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game, and that’s the kind of production you’d expect out of someone who’s played for that long.
James is just a complete anomaly, and it gets crazier if you dig a bit deeper. The highest scoring average for a player in their 20th season or beyond before he reached that stage was 17.6 by Kobe Bryant in 2015-16. James averaged 28.9 points in his 20th season and then 25.7 in his 21st. This is all just mind-blowing.
James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, has quite a few accolades to go with this longevity as well, having won four titles, four Finals MVPs, four MVPs, a scoring title, and an assists title. He has also made 21 All-Star, 21 All-NBA, and six All-Defensive teams.
All of this leads to James having a strong case for that title of greatest player of all time, but Jordan remains the popular pick. He won six titles, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, one DPOY, and 10 scoring titles. The Chicago Bulls icon also made 14 All-Star, 11 All-NBA, and nine All-Defensive teams.
Jordan has more titles and prestigious awards to his name, while James has the incredible longevity. Your pick for the GOAT title really just comes down to preference. Marcus went with James for longevity, and Blake Griffin had done the same.
While Markieff isn’t part of this group, he did praise James, his former teammate on the Lakers, as the most locked-in player he has ever played with in the NBA.
“I would probably say the hardest worker,” Markieff said. “… What it looked like to break down film or break down notes and statistics and all that. I’ve seen him do that, and I’ve never seen nobody else get that deep into it like that. And that’s why I would say he probably the hardest worker. We coming in the locker room, he been there three, four hours before us, and I work hard.”
Luka Doncic has also spoken about how James shows up about 10 hours before the game. That kind of dedication and discipline is a big reason why he is still going strong.
