LeBron James Vs Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: A Statistical Comparison

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LeBron James is on his way to becoming one of the best, if not the greatest basketball players of all time. On the other hand, Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and has paved way for modern-day basketball as we see it today. One of the all-time greats, Kareem was a monster on both ends of the floor. The same can be said, with no less vigour, for The King. Kareem has been declared a 'basketball legend' by many and is definitely among the top 3 NBA players of all-time.

Being on top of the NBA's all-time playoffs scoring list, a 3-time NBA Champion, a 4-time MVP and already a 14-time All-star, LeBron has cemented his name amongst some of the best that NBA has ever produced. He has done enough to solidify his legacy as one of the greatest the game has ever seen and so, is constantly weighed with the forefathers of basketball that created a foundation for the league of today.

Any comparison made between the skillsets of LeBron and Kareem would be nothing short of a cardinal sin, but here we try and compare them purely from an unbiased and statistical viewpoint.

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#1 Biographical detail

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a tall center who had an unguardable "skyhook" and relied on his shooting due to lack of exceedingly high levels of physical strength, whereas LeBron's freight-train-like physique coupled with an inhuman ability to accelerate anytime makes him a problem for any defense.

Kareem often took advantage of his tall physical structure to score over relatively smaller defenders, dominating the game throughout the 1970s and early 80s. Coming out of high school, His offensive skill made the collegiate basketball rules committee to make dunking illegal prior to his enrollment at UCLA.

On the other hand, LeBron James is a 6-foot 8-inch (2.03-metre) tall “point forward” who is as adept at bringing the ball down the court as at playing near the basket. James presents a unique challenge for opposing teams; his unmatched athleticism and well-muscled body would not have been out of place in the National Football League.

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