Adrian Peterson becomes latest to claim he's the LeBron of football

LeBron James is such a transcendent figure, the NFL's top running backs are battling to compare themselves to him.

The four-time NBA MVP almost commandeered a mismatched Cleveland Cavaliers squad last season to what would've been the franchise's first title, but fell short in six games to the 67-win juggernaut Golden State Warriors.

Earlier in August, Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles compared himself to the two-time NBA champion.

Asked about Charles' assertion during the Minnesota Vikings' preseason game Saturday, Adrian Peterson vehemently disagreed.

"I'm the LeBron James," Peterson said. "I'd definitely have to say I'm the LeBron James."

Peterson and James share a number of similarities: Both players were the consensus top recruits coming out of high school, showed prodigious skill early in their careers by winning Rookie of the Year, captured MVP awards, and are widely considered to be two of the most remarkable athletes in all of sports.

Although Peterson once unleashed a Herculean effort by carrying a milquetoast Vikings team to the playoffs, en route to capturing MVP honors in 2012, his body of work doesn't come close to James'.

Admittedly, James' impact is far easier to quantify than any other tour-de-force performance Peterson composes, but until the 30-year-old running back leads his team to a championship or captures three more MVPs, it isn't that strong a comparison.