LeBron James and Michael Jordan stand as two of the greatest basketball players of all time. With six NBA championships under his belt, Jordan’s scoring capability and defensive acumen earned him a notable reputation as one of sports’ greatest victors.
Meanwhile, James, known for his adeptness and versatility in the game, won four NBA championships. His recent ascension to the NBA’s all-time top scorer further cemented his legendary status.
Despite these achievements, like all athletes, they had their fair share of disappointing moments. In this piece, we attempt to make a side-by-side comparison of their toughest career losses.
The New York Knicks dealt a hard blow to Jordan, beating him by a staggering 37 points, marking it as the all-time worst defeat of his career.
The game that took place on the 28th of November, 1992, in New York, displayed the Knicks dominating in offense and defense, leaving the Bulls in the dust with a final scoreline of 112-75. This isn’t a memory Jordan holds fondly.
“The Knicks completely outclassed us today,” commented Jordan. “We just didn’t bring our A-game. It’s been quite some time since we faced a loss this devastating.”
Lakers’ 44-point loss: LeBron’s impact and team challenges
The Lakers suffered a crushing 44-point loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, marking James’ first such defeat in his 21-year NBA career.
Following the game, James expressed to reporters the necessity for significant changes, emphasizing the team’s need to elevate their performance, stating, “We simply need to improve our play.”
Even though he was the leading scorer on the team with 18 points in 30 minutes, James didn’t manage to secure a single rebound.
It was only the fourth time in his career that he ended a game without a rebound.
With a shaky record of 10-8, the Lakers had to lean on James more than they would have preferred this season.
Initially planning to conserve his strength by playing him for only 29 minutes on the opening night, James has since been clocking in an average of over 34 minutes per game.
As a result, he logged 572 minutes of playtime this season, aiding the Lakers in outperforming their opponents by 69 points.
However, during the 302 minutes he spent on the bench, the team fell behind by 92 points.
