The Miami Heat have won back-to-back NBA Championships, bringing LeBron James his second ring. But does this bring him the coveted title of "Greatest Ever"? Michael Jordan is still regarded as the legend on top and rightfully so. We can compare points per game, shooting percentages, MVPs and championships, but lets do things a little differently. Let's listen to the social web's opinion on the matter. Who is better, MJ or LBJ?
People flocked to social media during the NBA Finals and their opinions are reflected in these analytics. With SAP Social Media Analytics by NetBase, we can do a side-by-side competitive analysis between LeBron James and Michael Jordan. Do these insights crown an outright "Greatest Ever"? Absolutely not! But it is still cool to see what the web has to say about these basketball greats! Perhaps we can determine which player is more well-liked... Click on the graphics to enlarge view.
A summary of the social metrics reveals that LBJ is edging out MJ in everything from posts to passion intensity (sentiment associated with strong emotional words), however, note the net sentiment scores. Michael Jordan is winning in this department 50% to 34%. A score of 30% reflects an average score for a brand and these scores can go negative as well.
Looking at a year's worth of sentiment we can see positive and negative trends as time has passed. For LeBron, there is tappered activity at both ends due to the 2012 NBA Finals as well as 2013 NBA Finals. For Michael, there is a huge positive spike in mid-February. Why you ask? February 17, 1963 is MJ's birthday! His 50th B-Day overshadowed both of LeBron's championships. Does this say something?
With a peek at the top attributes for both players, there is a lot that has been said. For LeBron, he is considered the "best player in the NBA". You also see the words "better than Michael Jordan". For MJ, there is talk around him "winning back-to-back regular season MVP", something LeBron has done twice. However, "best basketball player" is still being said even with Jordan out of the league for ten years.
Finally, a look at the sentiment reflects the battle of this debate. This sample of the stream speaks for itself. #legend #ProvenFact
Conclusion
This was just a quick look at what the social web has to say about LeBron and Jordan. The reality is, LeBron has a lot of catching up to do. Everyone from analysts to the casual spectator has their own opinion, but Jordan still edges LeBron out in many categories, including NBA titles. King James is a great player and is no doubt the best in the NBA today. However, this is one of those things that isn't worth losing friends arguing about. Yet again, time will tell. This is a debate that should be revisited once LeBron has retired from playing the game. We may have to wait a while for that to happen...
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