Kyrie Irving vs. Michael Jordan: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Michael Jordan and Kyrie Irving to determine who has the better numbers. Here you can compare their career totals, points per game, games of 40+ points, 50+, etc. and their year-by-year scoring averages side by side, both in the Regular Season and Playoffs.
Michael Jordan and Kyrie Irving have two of the highest career scoring averages in league history (MJ is at the top of that list and he is also one of the all-time leaders in total points) and here we compare all their scoring stats.
By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that Michael Jordan has better scoring stats than Kyrie Irving in averages and totals, both in the regular season and Playoffs. However, we won't stop there and we'll go into detail to analyze what these statistics are made up of, from how many games they had in each threshold (30+ points, 40+, 50+, etc.) to their season-by-season scoring averages.
On this page we compare: |
|
Who has better scoring stats? Career Numbers |
Career Numbers
Who has the better scoring stats?
Points in the Regular Season
In his 15 NBA regular seasons played, Michael Jordan averages 6.4 points more than Kyrie Irving in his 14 seasons (30.1 points against 23.7), and he also scored a total of 13,859 points more (32,292 vs. 18,433).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Kyrie Irving | 23.7 | 14 | |
| Michael Jordan | 30.1 | +6.4 | 15 |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Kyrie Irving | 18,433 | 14 | |
| Michael Jordan | 32,292 | +13,859 | 15 |
Scoring Titles | ||
| Kyrie Irving | 0 | |
| Michael Jordan | 10 |  +10 |
Points in the Playoffs
Similar to what happens in the regular season, in the NBA postseason Michael Jordan has a better career point average than Kyrie Irving (+10.4 points per game) and he also scored more points (+3,776).
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Kyrie Irving | 23.0 | 7 | |
| Michael Jordan | 33.4 | +10.4 | 13 |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Kyrie Irving | 2,211 | 7 | |
| Michael Jordan | 5,987 | +3,776 | 13 |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
60+ Point Games | ||||
| Kyrie Irving | 1 | |||
| Michael Jordan | 4 | +3 | ||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Kyrie Irving | 535 | |||
| Michael Jordan | 926 | +391 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Kyrie Irving | 739 | |||
| Michael Jordan | 1,059 | +320 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Kyrie Irving | 777 | |||
| Michael Jordan | 1,072 | +295 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Kyrie Irving | 2 | +2 | ||
| Michael Jordan | 0 | |||
Playoffs
60+ Point Games | ||||
| Kyrie Irving | 0 | |||
| Michael Jordan | 1 | +1 | ||
50+ Point Games | ||||
| Kyrie Irving | 0 | |||
| Michael Jordan | 8 | +8 | ||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Kyrie Irving | 66 | |||
| Michael Jordan | 173 | +107 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Kyrie Irving | 92 | |||
| Michael Jordan | 179 | +87 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Kyrie Irving | 96 | |||
| Michael Jordan | 179 | +83 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Kyrie Irving | 0 | |||
| Michael Jordan | 0 | |||
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Kyrie Irving | 23.7 | 8.7 | 18.4 | 47.4 | 2.4 | 6.1 | 39.4 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 88.8 | 14 | 779 |
| difference: | +6.4 | +2.7 | +4.5 | +2.3 | +1.9 | +4.4 | +6.7 | +3.0 | +3.9 | +5.3 | +1 | +293 |
| Michael Jordan | 30.1 | 11.4 | 22.9 | 49.7 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 32.7 | 6.8 | 8.2 | 83.5 | 15 | 1,072 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Kyrie Irving | 18,433 | 6,787 | 14,313 | 47.4 | 1,876 | 4,763 | 39.4 | 2,983 | 3,360 | 88.8 | 14 | 779 |
| difference: | +13,859 | +5,405 | +10,224 | +2.3 | +1,295 | +2,985 | +6.7 | +4,344 | +5,412 | +5.3 | +1 | +293 |
| Michael Jordan | 32,292 | 12,192 | 24,537 | 49.7 | 581 | 1,778 | 32.7 | 7,327 | 8,772 | 83.5 | 15 | 1,072 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Kyrie Irving | 23.0 | 8.5 | 18.6 | 45.8 | 2.3 | 6.0 | 39.2 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 88.3 | 7 | 96 |
| difference: | +10.4 | +3.7 | +6.5 | +2.9 | +1.5 | +3.5 | +6.0 | +4.5 | +5.7 | +5.5 | +6 | +83 |
| Michael Jordan | 33.4 | 12.2 | 25.1 | 48.7 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 33.2 | 8.2 | 9.9 | 82.8 | 13 | 179 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Kyrie Irving | 2,211 | 815 | 1,781 | 45.8 | 225 | 574 | 39.2 | 356 | 403 | 88.3 | 7 | 96 |
| difference: | +3,776 | +1,373 | +2,716 | +2.9 | +77 | +128 | +6.0 | +1,107 | +1,363 | +5.5 | +6 | +83 |
| Michael Jordan | 5,987 | 2,188 | 4,497 | 48.7 | 148 | 446 | 33.2 | 1,463 | 1,766 | 82.8 | 13 | 179 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA Scoring Leader
= NBA ChampionRegular Season
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kyrie Irving | 18.5 | 2012 | 51 | |
| Michael Jordan | 28.2 | +9.7 | 1985 | 82 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kyrie Irving | 22.5 | 2013 | 59 | |
| Michael Jordan | 22.7 | +0.2 | 1986 | 18 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kyrie Irving | 20.8 | 2014 | 71 | |
| Michael Jordan | 37.1 | +16.3 | 1987 | 82 |
Michael Jordan's additional seasons: | ||||
* Michael Jordan played 1 season more than Kyrie Irving in the NBA. In that year—his season 15 in 2003—he averaged 20.0 points in a total of 82 regular season games. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kyrie Irving | - | DNP | 2012 | 0 |
| Michael Jordan | 29.3 | +29.3 | 1985 | 4 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kyrie Irving | - | DNP | 2013 | 0 |
| Michael Jordan | 43.7 | +43.7 | 1986 | 3 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kyrie Irving | - | DNP | 2014 | 0 |
| Michael Jordan | 35.7 | +35.7 | 1987 | 3 |
Season 7 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kyrie Irving | - | DNP | 2018 | 0 |
| Michael Jordan | 31.1 | +31.1 | 1991 | 17 |
Season 9 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kyrie Irving | - | DNP | 2020 | 0 |
| Michael Jordan | 35.1 | +35.1 | 1993 | 19 |
Season 12 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kyrie Irving | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
| Michael Jordan | 31.1 | +31.1 | 1997 | 19 |
Season 14 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Kyrie Irving | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
| Michael Jordan | - | DNP | 2002 | 0 |
Michael Jordan's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* In his additional NBA year, Michael Jordan didn't play in the postseason. |