The 18 players below are the only players in NBA history to outscore LeBron James and Michael Jordan in a series in the NBA playoffs or Finals.

The LeBron James and Michael Jordan GOAT debate is one that will likely rage on for the rest of time. There have been many ways in which we have tried to break this debate down ourselves including using our most accurate formula and various career comparisons. Now, it is time to take a different approach. In the NBA playoffs is where both of these worthy candidates have shined in their entire careers. Only one of them allowed their opponents or teammates to outscore them far more regularly.

The debate between Michael Jordan and LeBron James goes well beyond one aspect of the game, but the NBA playoffs and Finals are on a different level of importance. Today, we will break down the times in which each of these legends of the game were outscored during the playoffs or NBA Finals throughout their careers. When it comes to scoring, Jordan and James are the gold standard in NBA history, with Jordan as the NBA’s all-time leader in points per game in the regular season and the playoffs and James as the NBA’s all-time leader in total points in the regular season and playoffs.

Below, we will see how they have stacked up against their competition as well as their own teammates as scorers in the biggest moments of their careers to at least put the scoring part of the debate to rest once and for all. These are the NBA players who outscored LeBron James and Michael Jordan in the NBA playoffs or Finals.

The NBA Players That Outscored LeBron James In The NBA Playoffs Or Finals2007 Eastern Conference First Round

Antawn Jamison – 32.0 Points PPG

LeBron James – 27.8 PPG

The first time that LeBron James was ever outscored in an NBA playoff series was back in the first round of the 2007 playoffs. James’ Cleveland Cavaliers faced off against the Washington Wizards in that series, which would wind up being short and sweet for Cleveland. However, one player for the Wizards gave everything he had and ended up outsourcing the King in just the third playoff series of his career.

Antawn Jamison would average 32.0 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in the four-game set while shooting 47.6% from the field and 34.6% from three. Jamison would have 30-point games in Games 2, 3, and 4, including a 38-point explosion in Game 3. James would end up having the last laugh in the series, though.

LeBron would end up having a typical playoff series for him where he was able to dominate with more than just his scoring. He would average fewer points than Jamison with 27.8 points per game but his all-around play led them to a four-game sweep of Washington. James averaged 8.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 1.8 steals per game on top of his 27.8 points. He shot 42.5% from the field as Cleveland continued to march on to the NBA Finals.

2007 NBA Finals

Tony Parker – 24.5 PPG

LeBron James – 22.0 PPG

The fact that LeBron James was able to lead the 2007 Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals was an impressive feat in itself. Once they arrived, it was clear the Cavaliers were out of their element, which included a dud of a series from James himself. James’ efficiency was horrid in the four-game set against the Spurs as he converted just 20.0% of his three-point attempts as well as 35.6% of his shots overall.

This performance by LeBron, along with the experience of the Spurs, would lead to a quick four-game sweep by San Antonio. Leading this charge for the Spurs would be point guard Tony Parker who poured in 24.5 points per game on an incredible 56.8% shooting from the floor. Parker’s play completely overshadowed James in a way that has rarely occurred since in his career.

You can point to James’ second-best teammate being Drew Gooden with just 12.8 points per game and the Spurs were a dynasty with three prior NBA championships as reasons why Cleveland lost this series. For an NBA Finals debut, the moment was a little too big for James early in his career.

2011 Eastern Conference Second Round

Dwyane Wade – 30.2 PPG

LeBron James – 28.0 PPG

During their time together with the Miami Heat from 2011 through 2014, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade were among one of the greatest NBA duos of all time. On numerous occasions, one outperformed the other, but the combination of the two plus a third option in Chris Bosh led to a dominant four-year run.

In their first playoff run together in 2011, James and Wade were on a mission to deliver on their promise of endless championships to the City of Miami. During the second round of the playoffs that season against the Boston Celtics, it would be Wade and not LeBron who stepped up the most on offense.

Wade would pour in 30.2 points per game in the series while shooting 52.6% from the field. Wade would also add 6.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and two steals per game in the five-game series win. James would average 28.0 points per game on 43.5% shooting overall as well as 8.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Having a teammate outscore you in this case, is not as big of a blow to James’ greatness, considering the team got the win and James played well despite being outscored.

2011 NBA Finals

Jason Terry – 18.0 PPG

Chris Bosh – 18.5 PPG

Dirk Nowitzki – 26.0 PPG

Dwyane Wade – 26.5 PPG

LeBron James – 17.8 PPG

The 2011 NBA Finals was not LeBron James’ finest hour. This is one of those instances that a loss falls completely on James’ shoulders as two teammates and two opponents outperformed him for the chance at an NBA championship. With the weight of the world on his shoulders against the Dallas Mavericks, James fell apart, especially late in games, averaging just 17.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game in six games as the Heat fell short of their goal.

This definitely looks bad for James considering both Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry outscored him over the course of the series. Nowitzki would earn Finals MVP honors for leading the charge with his clutch play, averaging 26.0 points per game on 41.6% shooting in the series. Dallas’ first NBA title also came with the aid of Jason Terry who knocked down big shot after big shot in the series. Terry would outscore James with 18.0 points per game on 49.4% shooting overall and 39.3% from three.

As bad as it looks that James was outscored by Nowitzki and Terry, it looks even worse that two of his teammates outscored him as well. Dwyane Wade led Miami with 26.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game on 54.6% shooting. Bosh would add 18.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game on 41.3% shooting. James being the third-best player on the court for his team allowed Dallas to capitalize and stain the career of LeBron James to this day.

2012 NBA Finals

Kevin Durant – 30.6 PPG

LeBron James – 28.6 PPG

The 2012 NBA Finals are another example of LeBron James being outscored having no effect on the outcome of the series. Heading into their 2012 showdown with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Heat knew that Kevin Durant was going to get his as one of the best scorers in the game. As long as LeBron and the rest of Miami played a better all-around game, they would be NBA champions.

That is exactly what they would do, as Durant would go for 30.6 points per game shooting 54.8% from the field and 39.4% from three. Durant and the Thunder were able to steal one game from Miami but even his torrid scoring wasn’t enough for more than that. James would lead Miami with 28.6 points per game but really dominated every aspect of the game to capture his first NBA title. James would add 10.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 1.6 steals on 47.2% shooting to claim his first Finals MVP.

2014 Eastern Conference Finals

Paul George – 24.0 PPG

LeBron James – 22.8 PPG

The 2014 Eastern Conference Finals is an instance once again in which James being outscored by an opponent did not prevent his team from winning the series. In the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals, LeBron James and the Heat would do battle with Paul George and the Indiana Pacers. The series would last six games and end with the Heat advancing to their fourth straight NBA Finals.

In this series, Paul George led the charge for the Pacers in their second consecutive postseason matchup with Miami. George was outstanding for Indiana leading all scorers with 24.0 points per game on 45.2% shooting overall and 38.0% from beyond the arc. As great as George was, a lack of consistent help buried the Pacers as Miami got the complete opposite in that department.

James would lead Miami in scoring with 22.8 points per game while shooting an incredible 55.9% overall from the field. Dwyane Wade would add 19.8 points per game and Chris Bosh would also add 16.2 points per game as the Heat advanced to the NBA Finals. James would also lead the Heat in rebounds, assists, and steals in the series as the clear-cut best all-around player on the court.

2016 Eastern Conference First Round

Kyrie Irving – 27.5 PPG

LeBron James – 22.8 PPG

Once again, having a teammate outscore you in a playoff series can never be considered a bad thing, especially if the series is won and the team goes on to become NBA champions. In the first round of the playoffs, the Cavaliers led by LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love would take on the Detroit Pistons led by Andre Drummond. For the Cavaliers, the series would be an easy sweep with their star duo completely dominating it from start to finish.

Leading the way as far as scoring was concerned was Kyrie Irving, who averaged a series-high 27.5 points per game on 47.1% shooting overall and 47.1% from three. Irving was on another planet during these four games, just as he would be for the entirety of the playoffs. While Irving led in scoring, James led everywhere else on the floor adding 22.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. James shot 48.7% overall and led Cleveland in scoring for the rest of the playoffs as they went on to become NBA champions for the very first time.

2017 NBA Finals

Kevin Durant – 35.2 PPG

LeBron James – 33.6 PPG

To be completely fair, it did not matter what LeBron James did in the 2017 NBA Finals, there was no way that the Cavaliers were going to take down the Golden State Warriors. I mean, just take a look at the numbers. LeBron James had one of the best individual playoff series of his career, averaging 33.6 points, 12.0 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.0 steals per game. Still, the Cavaliers could capture just one game from Golden State.

The Warriors were armed with far too much firepower. Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green were far too overpowering as a unit as they crushed Cleveland’s dreams of a repeat. Durant would grab Finals MVP honors with 35.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game. It was Durant’s first championship, but again, James had done everything he possibly could to keep his team in the series, with Cleveland being outmatched at every turn.

2020 Western Conference First Round

Anthony Davis – 29.8 PPG

LeBron James – 27.4 PPG

The 2020 playoffs were a playoff format unlike we will ever see again in NBA history. The NBA called for a bubble format to determine their 2020 NBA champion after the COVID-19 pandemic virus shut down their season for months. The Lakers headed toward the playoffs as the heavy favorites led by their star duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. More than once over the course of the playoffs, Davis stepped up and took the pressure off James as a scorer, a pleasure James welcomed with open arms.

During their first-round series, James and Davis would combine for 57.2 points per game against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Lakers would dominate Portland in five games as they continued their pursuit of an NBA title. Davis would outscore James averaging 29.8 points per game on 57.3% shooting. James would average 27.4 points per game on 60.0% shooting with 10.2 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game as well. The pair looked simply unstoppable in their pursuit of an NBA title.

2020 Western Conference Finals

Anthony Davis – 31.2 PPG

LeBron James – 27.0 PPG

The next time LeBron James would be outscored is in the Western Conference Finals later that same season. The Lakers were headed into a series with the Denver Nuggets who were being led by Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. The duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis would combine for nearly 60.0 points per game as the Lakers would win in five games to advance to the NBA Finals.

There is no doubt that the duo of Davis and James is what led Los Angeles to the NBA Finals and beyond. Davis would average 31.2 points per game on 54.3% shooting overall as well as 6.2 rebounds per game. For Hames, his 27.0 points per game were great but it was the addition of his 10.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists that put his squad over the top. James and the Lakers would defeat the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals for James’ fourth NBA championship and his fourth Finals MVP award.

2021 Western Conference First Round

Devin Booker – 29.7 PPG

LeBron James – 23.3 PPG

The 2021 season was one of great disappointment for LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Los Angeles Lakers. After backing into the playoffs in the NBA play-in tournament, the Lakers drew the tough assignment of going up against the Phoenix Suns in the first round. Both James and Davis were hobbled for most of the series which led to an early exit for Los Angeles and an NBA Finals run for Phoenix.

The Lakers would actually get out to a 2-1 series lead behind the play of LeBron James and Anthony Davis before the wheels came off for the rest of the series. With injuries to both of the Lakers’ duo, nothing could stop Phoenix from capitalizing and defeating them in six games. LeBron would average 23.3 points per game to lead the Lakers in the series on 47.4% shooting overall.

Meanwhile, Devin Booker was nearly flawless for the Suns as they went on to win the series in six games. Booker averaged 29.7 points per game on 48.8% shooting overall and 42.9% shooting from three. He also added 6.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game as the Suns took advantage of the Lakers’ dysfunction and wound up advancing all the way to the NBA Finals. Although it didn’t end in an NBA championship for Phoenix, a star was 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 in Devin Booker on that playoff run, as it has been ever since.

2023 Western Conference First Round

Ja Morant – 24.5 PPG

Desmond Bane – 23.5 PPG

LeBron James – 22.2 PPG

After a 3-10 start to the 2023 season for the Lakers, the team would make some moves at the trade deadline that ended up pushing them over the top as a playoff team. With the miraculous recovery to their season, the Lakers used this momentum in three exciting rounds of this last season’s NBA playoffs.

LeBron James would lead the way for the Lakers in their first-round matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies in 2023. James was motivated by Memphis’ complete lack of respect for him and his game, as he averaged 22.2 points per game on 48.6% shooting in the series. James and the Lakers would need just six games to dismiss Memphis and advance to the next round of the playoffs.

Memphis would have two players who scored at a better rate than James in that series, however. Both Ja Morant with 24.5 points per game and Desmond Bane with 23.5 points per game came in with higher scoring averages than LeBron during the series, but to no avail. Outside of those two, no other Memphis player averaged at least 18.5 points per game and the mismatch proved to be far too much for them in a seven-game series.

2023 Western Conference Second Round

Stephen Curry – 26.7 PPG

LeBron James – 24.7 PPG

In the next round of those same playoffs, we would get a much-anticipated series between LeBron James and Stephen Curry for the fifth playoff meeting of their careers. The series would be a back-and-forth showdown between the Lakers and Warriors that eventually the Lakers would pull out in six games as well.

James would lead the Lakers to victory despite a rough go of things during the fourth quarter of these highly important games. For the series, LeBron would average 24.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.5 assists on 49.5% shooting overall. Anthony Davis showed up big as well with 21.5 points, 14.5 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game as the anchor of their defense.

The Warriors were very clearly overmatched against the Lakers much as they had been for the majority of the season. As experienced and resilient as they were, the Warriors only got real support from Stephen Curry throughout the entire series against the Lakers. In the series, Curry would average 26.7 points per game on 43.9% shooting overall and 34.3% shooting from three. As well as he played, it was not enough with no other player on Golden State able to contribute over 16.2 points per game.

2023 Western Conference Finals

Jamal Murray – 32.5 PPG

LeBron James – 27.8 PPG

Over the first two rounds, LeBron James being outscored by an opponent had no bearing on the outcome of the series as the Lakers still found ways to win. In their Western Conference Finals matchup with the Denver Nuggets, that would not be the case as the Nuggets handily defeated the Lakers in a four-game sweep led by their talented point guard-center duo.

LeBron James’ fourth quarter and three-point scoring continued to be a 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁er for the Lakers in this series. James would average 27.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 10.0 assists in the series while shooting 51.1% overall but just 26.9% from three. Davis was there too with 26.8 points per game for the series, but the duo was not enough to carry the Lakers over their opponents at this stage of the playoffs.

First, it is important to note that Western Conference Finals MVP Nikola Jokic would match LeBron’s 27.8 points per game for the series while also grabbing 14.5 rebounds and dishing out 11.8 assists per game. Point guard Jamal Murray would be the one to outshine James in these four games with a scintillating 32.5 points per game. Opposite of James, Murray came alive during the fourth quarters of all four games to push Denver over the top and eventually capture their first NBA championship. Murray shot 52.7% overall for the series, as well as 40.5% from three and 95.0% from the foul line.

The NBA Players That Outscored Michael Jordan In The NBA Playoffs Or Finals1985 Eastern Conference First Round

Terry Cummings – 29.5 PPG

Michael Jordan – 29.3 PPG

Michael Jordan faced off against 269 players in his NBA playoff career with the Chicago Bulls from 1984 through 1998. Of those 269 opponents, Jordan was only ever outscored once in a series which came in his rookie season against the loaded Milwaukee Bucks. Even as a rookie, Jordan’s talent and potential were evident as the Bucks, led by multiple Hall of Famers, eliminated Jordan in four games in the first round of the playoffs.

In the series, Jordan would have to contend with Sidney Moncrief, Terry Cummings, and Paul Pressey of the Bucks. Michael would average 29.3 points per game for the series while shooting 43.6% overall and just 12.5% from three. Jordan’s teammate Orlando Woolridges averaged 20.5 points per game as well, but the Bulls were no match for a much more experienced Bucks squad.

Milwaukee would be led by Terry Cummings, who averaged 29.5 points per game in the series shooting 63.4% overall from the field. Cummings also added 9.3 rebounds per game as the Bucks defeated Chicago three games to one in the series. Milwaukee would also get support from Sidney Moncrief with 26.5 points per game and Paul Pressey with 14.6 points per game. It would be the first and only time an opponent or teammate would ever outscore Michael Jordan in the playoffs in his career, and this came by just 0.2 points per game adding to his legacy as the greatest player in NBA history.

What Does This Mean In The GOAT Debate?

If you are keeping count, that is 18 players who outscored LeBron James in an NBA playoff series or Finals to just one who outscored Michael Jordan on the same level. Unpacking what this means when it comes to the GOAT debate is very simple. To me, it means that the greatest scorer debate aspect of it needs to be put to rest.

If you believe that needing five more years to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer is evidence LeBron is a better scorer than Jordan, more power to you. I am going to take the player that never allowed any player, opponent, or teammate to upstage him in the game’s biggest moments.

The bottom line is that Michael Jordan and LeBron James are two of the greatest scorers in NBA history. Michael Jordan’s dominance was just simply on another level compared to James. There isn’t anything wrong with that, and it shouldn’t open up insults and incessant nitpicking that often comes with this conversation. The scoring part of the debate will always belong to Michael Jordan. The information above just cements it.