Hall of Fame shooting guard Dwyane Wade believes his former Miami Heat title-winning running mate LeBron James has entered heady terrain in his NBA dotage with your Los Angeles Lakers, far outstripping the late-career All-Star Washington Wizards run of Hall of Fame Chicago Bulls shooting guard Michael Jordan, against whom James is often compared.
During a new conversation with Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of Bally Sports, Wade explained why he believes James’ achievements with LA are leagues beyond those of Jordan during his two Wizards seasons.
“No. I mean, MJ averaged 20 when he came back and he was STILL very good, but LeBron has stayed at a level that we haven’t seen,” Wade opined.
“And so, the conversations of greatness, he makes it hard and all the older guys before that were like, It’s about Wilt, it’s about Kareem, it’s about these guys… because of his consistency; I mean, he’s averaging 30 points per game in the 20th year in the league!” Wade continued. “So I’m just happy that I get the opportunity to be part of his greatness in any way I can but we’re all witnesses, right? So we’re going to see where he ends up!”
There’s no denying that James has had significantly more success with Los Angeles than Jordan did with Washington. There are a few caveats to that reality. Jordan, who suited up for three NCAA seasons with the University of North Carolina and entered the NBA three years older than James was, played just 15 seasons with the Bulls and Wiz. James has spent years 16-20 with Los Angeles. His longevity is just at another level than Jordan’s. That said, Jordan was 38 years old at the start of his Washington tenure due to his later league start (and his two prior retirements), the age James is now.
He averaged a still-respectable 21.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals during his Wizards years. Can James match that number? If his output this season is any prediction of future success, it seems quite possible.