Let's knock out the better shooter myth first. Jordan shot .505 for his career with the Bulls. LeBron's career FG% is .501. That's a wash. LeBron is the better three point shooter and Jordan is better by 10% at the line. (I'm not counting Jordan's Wizard stats. Kind of pointless.)
LeBron can defend 1-3 positions very effectively. He can match up with 4s, but it is taxing and it can affect his game on the offensive end. He may be able to check a few of the worst 5s that are currently in the league, but that's because 5s are hot garbage compared to the 5s in the Jordan era. He never would have been able to play the 5 in Jordan's era. You think LeBron could check David Robinson, Hakeem, Ewing, Shaq, Mutombo, or Mourning? The only one out of them that wouldn't average 45 PPG with LeBron guarding him would be Mutombo. LeBron wouldn't even be able to guard Rik Smits.
Also, I don't know how people always forget that Jordan was a great passer. The guy averaged 5.5 assists per game. He just didn't defer as often as LeBron because he was the best damn scoring 2 we have ever seen. That's why he averaged 30+ PPG for seven years in a row when defenders were allowed to hand check and practically maul you.
I'll always take the side that Jordan is the GOAT, but I'm just happy I've been able to watch both of these guys play the game at such an amazing level.