Subtitles section Play video
If Michael Jordan and LeBron James played on the same team, how many championships could the two win together?
Well, today we're going to find out, as LeBron's been sent to 1988 to pair up with a young Michael Jordan on the Chicago Bulls, giving them the chance to completely change NBA history.
And while there are a few things we have to look out for later, the two would have no problems in their first season as teammates.
Rookie LeBron is already averaging 23 and 7, while Jordan, who's a few seasons in, is up to a whopping 36 points per game.
And with the Bulls finishing as the two seed, it's only right that he's walking away with the MVP.
Jordan obviously has a few more seasons under his belt than LeBron.
He's winning the first MVP between the two players.
And that's good to note, because while the two are teammates, we still have to find out who's actually better.
And in order to do that, we'll have to count up their MVPs and finals MVPs in order to make that decision.
But for now, it's time for the first of their many playoff runs together.
And already in the second round, they find themselves up against their first major challenge out in Boston.
LeBron and Jordan up against Larry Legend.
And while LeBron's only a rookie, it's actually Jordan who has plenty of history with Boston, who have repeatedly taken him down in the past.
But with the help of his new teammate and at the moment's sidekick, the two are able to pull through, taking games one, two and three, now being one win away from the conference finals.
Already in their first season, both MJ and LBJ are making a deep playoff run.
And while it is to be expected, it's still surprising that they're this good so soon.
Larry Bird will lead the Celtics to one more win to avoid the sweep.
But at this point, we all know the final result.
LeBron and MJ would take care of him in five games, closing it out at home, moving closer and closer to a potential championship.
LeBron and Jordan are moving on to the conference finals.
They took down Larry already.
And for their next opponent, they'd find themselves in the Big Apple up against Patrick Ewing in the Knicks.
But to be honest, this one was barely a contest, as the two had put on a show in the world's most famous arena, taking them down as well.
Every step of the way, they've seemed to run into one of the NBA's most iconic franchises in the most iconic cities.
So it's only fitting that their final opponent is one of the icons of the sport on possibly the most iconic team.
So LeBron's playing the one which means he has to guard Magic Johnson, which also means if the Bulls wind up losing, it might lowkey be LeBron's fault.
But in the end, there was actually nothing to worry about, as young legs of the Bulls were able to outpace the Showtime Lakers getting to the basket with ease.
And despite only being a rookie, LeBron will have his way with Magic while Jordan would seal the deal.
In only their first season together, the two are going to be crowned as champions, almost certainly being the first of many.
Jordan's got the first finals MVP, but I have a feeling this is not going to be the last time we see them win a title, which now means that Jordan has the 1-0 lead on both MVPs and finals MVPs, now entering year two, also known as the 1989 season.
So far, it's been Jordan's team, and that's not too surprising considering he's got a lot more experience than LeBron.
But don't count him out just yet, because his sophomore season would be extremely eventful and productive, moving his scoring up from 23 to 25, and with a few more assists per game, he's getting closer and closer to MVP status.
But in the end, while he does have the stats in order to get the award, it's not actually going to him.
He's not tying up Jordan just yet, as ironically, the 1989 MVP would be heading to Los Angeles.
The man that they just beat in the finals is stealing their MVP, basically.
And while that is kind of revenge for last season's finals, one of the two can still walk away with some hardware if they repeat as champions.
But while all the signs are there, it became apparently clear that it's not a guarantee, because in the second round, LeBron and MJ would run into another rival of the Bulls, that being Dominique Wilkins and the Atlanta Hawks, who, to put it short, would demolish the Bulls, going up 3 to 0 in the series and eventually sending them home in six.
Even after the Bulls took a couple of games to potentially stage a comeback.
I mentioned this to show that while the two are a fantastic duo, they're not necessarily unbeatable.
Two players on the same team still competing to see who's better.
Team chemistry could eventually lead to their downfall.
There's only one way to find out, though, now entering the 1990 season.
And as an added note, we're only simulating until Jordan's retirement in 1998, which means the two only have eight more seasons left together as teammates.
So with that in mind, the two would get right to work to try to bounce back, with LeBron averaging nearly a 27 point triple double, orchestrating the offense in favor of Jordan, who's averaging a whopping 37 per game, making it safe to assume that the MVP trophy is heading back to the Windy City with Jordan taking a 2-0 lead on LeBron.
I don't know how he's averaging 37, bro.
Shout out to the simulation.
And while oddly the Bulls are only the fourth seed, you wouldn't be able to tell from the first few rounds of the playoffs as the two would storm through the East, defeating Detroit, Boston in seven, and Philly with Charles Barkley to make it back to the finals for a rematch with none other than Magic Johnson for a second time in three seasons.
But while their first matchup was a one sided victory for the Bulls, this time it's clear that it's not going to be as easy as Magic would be the one striking first, taking a 2-1 lead, forcing the Bulls to play in desperation mode, going back and forth until eventually they were able to tie the series at three apiece.
Now heading back to Los Angeles for one decisive game.
Going into this, for some reason, I thought it would just be easy championships, but no, we're going to Game 7.
Without a doubt, it's the most crucial game that either Jordan or LeBron have played to date.
But with Magic getting up there in age, he doesn't have that much time left in his prime.
Each team and player has a completely different motivation.
So with all that being said, Game 7 would tip off.
And it's no surprise that the two teams would go at it for the entire game, keeping it close the entire time until eventually we'd see the Lakers with a two point lead with less than 30 seconds left.
If the Bulls can get a stop here, they'll have the chance to take the lead and potentially win it all.
But don't count the Lakers out just yet, because they have the ball with Magic on the floor, meaning that anything's possible.
They have to get a stop here.
This is the most important possession.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
They might have lost the finals.
And in the end, while the Bulls would call time, their final possession would be a complete disaster, meaning that Jordan and LeBron are shockingly tacking on a finals loss onto their resume, which makes you wonder if LeBron's addition to the Bulls has held Jordan back in some way, because we all know in real life he was never defeated in the finals.
And to this point, since Jordan has a 2-0 lead on MVPs and a 1-0 lead on finals MVPs, it seems like LeBron's destined to remain a sidekick.
With all that being said, though, he will have a chance to do something later that could seriously help his legacy and maybe change a lot of people's minds.
But now entering the 1991 season, it seems like we won't even have to wait that long, as he's immediately rebounding from last season's finals loss, getting even closer to averaging a triple double, now putting up $29.99 per game.
And despite MJ scoring well into the 30s again, LeBron's contributions can't be ignored any longer, because in his fourth season, he's winning his first MVP, now making the competition between the two teammates only 2-1.
LeBron, MVP number one, it's got to be the headband.
Kind of doesn't matter, though, because they got embarrassed last year in the playoffs.
But even though I doubted them, once again, the two would have no issues with Eastern Conference in the playoffs.
It doesn't matter who they're up against.
All we know is that they're getting destroyed.
With MVP LeBron leading the way, the Bulls are making it to their third finals up against a very, very, very questionable opponent out in Utah.
And it's pretty clear at this point, even if you're rooting for Jordan or rooting for LeBron, we're all thinking the same thing.
Do not let him win a championship.
And it's safe to say that eventually justice would be served.
LeBron and MJ would take care of the Jazz with ease, both home and away, sealing the deal in Utah to win their collective second title.
LeBron and MJ are already solidified as one of the greatest NBA duos, but they're also competing as teammates.
So with that being said, while Jordan took over early on, it seems like we're entering the LeBron era as he'd be the one raising the finals MVP.
We still have like seven more seasons to go, which gives both stars plenty of time to break the one to one finals MVP tie between themselves.
At this point, we don't really know who's Batman and who's Robin, as each has a case for either position now entering the 1992 season.
We only have six more years left of the duo.
And as we progress, the answer should become more and more clear, as while both players would have fantastic stats throughout the middle of the season, LeBron and Jordan are number one and number two in the MVP race.
Only one can come out on top, and whoever wins might have the most impressive MVP to date, because with the Bulls falling just short of 70 wins, it's clear they've hit their stride.
But in the end, while the two would have fantastic seasons, it would wind up being LeBron James shining a little brighter, winning his second MVP, tying the race two to two.
We're going to be on this screen a lot.
LeBron's tying up Jordan.
Where are his legs, bro?
And again, for a third straight time, the duo are demolishing the Eastern Conference to make it to the finals, where they'd be up against a young Seattle Sonics team.
They might be a few seasons too early, though, considering LeBron and MJ are in their primes, basically confirming that they're taking this series as well.
But while LeBron would be the regular season MVP, it would actually be Jordan taking control in the final few games, averaging almost 40, to win his second finals MVP, putting him up two to one on LeBron.
Boom.
There we go.
LeBron's happy for him.
So, you know, the team chemistry, it's good now.
But while LeBron's thrilled, something would be off about Jordan.
Maybe while this whole competition is interesting to us, it might be completely meaningless to him, because entering the following season, the Bulls would definitely fall off and then some, despite having the chance to three-peat.
Nobody between him or LeBron will win the MVP, and to make matters even worse, they go up against the post-Larry Bird Celtics in the first round, who happen to be the eighth seed, which makes it even more shocking that they'd wind up being eliminated.
Oh, my God.
How did they?
Who was on Boston?
And at this point, that doesn't even matter.
A team on the brink of a three-peat getting sent home by the eighth seed is nothing less than a disaster.
So with Jordan being somewhat content with his accomplishments, he'd be announcing his retirement, leaving LeBron by himself in Chicago.
And while Jordan's out trying to hit baseballs, LBJ's stuck in the gym alone, now being faced with an improbably tough challenge.
If he can't win without Jordan, it almost certainly cements him as a sidekick.
And it basically puts the blame of their past playoff failures on him.
But somehow, if he can flip the script and win a championship without Jordan, it probably means the opposite and that he was a better player the entire time.
Either way, LeBron's legacy is going to change dramatically in the 1994 season.
But before we find out how he'll fare by himself, we're actually skipping the results of this season for now and revisiting it at the very end to help make our final decision on who's the GOAT.
So with all that being said, it's now time for the 1995 season where Jordan's returning to the Bulls midseason, just in time for LeBron to break the 2-2 MVP tie between the two of them, making the race now 3-2 in favor of LBJ.
Jordan's back, but he didn't play enough games to stop him from winning.
However, the playoffs would be a very different story, as in the conference finals, the two would run into the Orlando Magic and Shaq, who actually had the best of the Bulls in real life.
Jordan and LeBron are fantastic players, but there's nothing they can do to stop Shaq, ultimately going down 3-2 in the series.
While the two have been really good, they haven't been untouchable.
And if they lose here again, it might be a bad sign for their future teammates.
But in the end, they take Game 6 and Game 7 to move on to the finals against Utah, which would also be an easy victory, proving that the previous series against Orlando was nothing but a small scare.
Most importantly, though, the finals MVP race would now be tied at 2-2 thanks to LeBron taking the award this time, finishing with a clean sweep of both awards for the season.
But we're now entering the final stretch of him and MJ's teammates.
And while we don't know who's the GOAT just yet, there's one thing that we can be sure of.
It's going to be close.
It's going to go down to the wire.
And on paper, the 1996 Bulls should be even better with the addition of another Hall of Famer, Dennis Rodman, who just so happens to specialize in defense, meaning he won't get in the way of LeBron and MJ's stats.
So, of course, it will lead to another tight MVP race between the two teammates.
But in the end, it would be MJ falling short.
Despite averaging 32-5-5, LeBron's well-rounded play will lead to him winning his fourth MVP to Jordan's two, now only leaving MJ a few more seasons to catch up.
On the other hand, though, the playoffs would be a totally different story as Jordan would take his MVP snub personally, leading the Bulls to the finals instead of LeBron.
And with the regular season and playoffs being two totally different stories, this one's ending with the duo defeating the Trailblazers for their fifth collective title, with Jordan winning the finals MVP, making that particular race 3-2.
And his late comeback wouldn't stop in the 1997 season.
There's only two more left until he retires, but he would make the most of it again, averaging his usual 30 points per game on some ridiculous percentages to win the regular season MVP.
And now if he wins next season, he can tie up LeBron's four.
Every time either him or LeBron win MVP, they shoot like 60% from the field.
But while I was shocked, it wouldn't compare at all to what would happen come playoff time, as the Bulls would make the Eastern Conference Finals as usual and go down 3-1 to the Indiana Pacers.
Don't get it twisted.
They're a solid team and they're led by a future Hall of Famer and Reggie Miller.
But it's kind of wild that he's potentially sending home two.
And while Jordan won the MVP to bring him closer to LeBron's total, it seems like it came at a cost, because eventually both he and the Bulls are being sent home in five.
Oh, look, see, they're going to run the play.
LeBron's about to shoot a three.
Nope.
Oh, there it is.
All right.
It's not going to matter.
Oh, he hit it.
Somebody fire up the meme.
LeBron cuts the lead out.
There's no YouTube in this era.
It's the 90s.
And with that travesty, we're now answering the last dance for the LeBron and MJ duo, because after this season, Jordan's retiring for real this time.
And while we're on the topic, we still need to find out what happened in the 1994 season, which was the first time he left.
And if LeBron was able to bring home any awards during that time, we have to add them to his total.
But to focus back on the 1998 season, it would start off with LBJ and MJ leading the Bulls to 67 wins in the one season.
But with the two, of course, putting up monster stat lines, who's going to win the last MVP?
Turns out it wouldn't be either.
It's going to a very familiar face in a city that MJ and LBJ are very familiar with.
So we're ending off with a Shaq MVP, which means that LeBron is going to win the MVP race between him and Jordan.
With all that being said, that means that LeBron wins the regular season MVP race four to three, but that doesn't necessarily make him the best player on the team, though, since Jordan has more finals MVPs, which is definitely more meaningful.
Either way, it's now time for their last playoff run together as teammates.
And to keep it short, they would make it back to the finals.
And while their dynasty started with them heading to L.A. to challenge Magic Johnson, they're going right back to challenge the Lakers of the future as they'd have to close it out against MVP Shaq and a young Kobe Bryant.
But in the end, there are a few seasons too early.
Eventually, they will be one of the best duos to ever step foot on the hardwood.
But their run is ending here, because after taking a three to two lead, the Bulls would be in position to win the series.
And after one final exclamation point from Michael Jordan, Jordan with the ball about to take one last ceremonial shot over Jordan.
He started celebrating before it even went in.
It would actually be LeBron James raising the finals MVP after averaging almost a 30 point triple double throughout the finals.
But most importantly, that means that the two are now tied up three to three on their collective six titles.
And that's how the LeBron and Jordan era is going to end.
But it's still not over yet.
While they are tied to our knowledge, all of this could take on a completely different meaning depending on the results of the 1994 season.
As we know, that was Jordan's first retirement and LeBron's time alone on the Bulls.
And if he wound up winning a title here, it means he probably was the true leader of the team this whole time and subsequently the GOAT.
But if he loses here, it definitely means the opposite and that he was a sidekick the entire time.
With all that being said, though, it's time to unveil the results for this season.
And much to nobody's surprise, LeBron will put up monstrous stats as the lone star of the team, because while he's rebounding and assisting as usual, his points per game would rocket to 36, his career high by four.
And while to our knowledge, he had four MVPs because he won one this season, the real total was actually five this whole time.
Dude, that's got to be the greatest season ever, bro, by far.
And with that, we're now at LeBron's final test, that being the playoffs, which would be pretty straightforward through the first few rounds.
However, while MJ and LeBron as a duo are going to be sent home by Reggie Miller a few seasons in the future, in the past with LeBron by himself, it would be an extremely easy victory, which makes you wonder if that loss might have been Jordan's fault.
But most importantly, it means that LeBron's defied the odds heading back to the finals again by himself, this time against Utah for a total of three times.
LeBron's four wins away from winning a title without Jordan.
And just as a reminder, the two have six collective titles with a three to three tie on the finals MVPs.
Whatever happens here is effectively breaking the tie.
Crowning one is the greatest of all time and leader of the duo.
So with all that in mind, LeBron would go out and have a hard fought series with the Jazz and their questionable power forward Car Malone, as well as their Hall of Fame floor general and John Stockton.
But while in some ways it's a two on one, it helps when the one is the best player on the floor, as well.
It would be very close.
LeBron would have the upper hand going up three to two in the series.
And while the Jazz are a very strong opponent to the point where they're sending game six to overtime.
What?
John Stock, bro, he's just shot.
And keeping it close in said overtime, forcing LeBron to miss a potential game winner.
He missed.
He missed.
Oh, my God, LeBron missed.
No way he hits that.
Oh, LeBron would be done with all the nonsense.
He would close it out in the second overtime, convincingly to bring a title to Chicago without Jordan, increasing his championship total to seven in comparison to MJ6.
And while the two spent a ton of time together as teammates, this championship by himself officially crowns him as the greatest of all time.