There's only one Michael Jordan, but there's also only one LeBron James.
Trying to "be like Mike" is secretly every basketball player's ultimate fantasy, yet few admit it because the mere mention of anyone attempting to replicate or even surpass his legacy is considered blasphemy.
Even James, who many believe to be the greatest player of his generation, has drawn his fair share of scrutiny for openly stating that one of his remaining motivating factors - now that he's brought Cleveland an NBA championship - is chasing the ghost of the Chicago Bulls legend.
The King has his rings (three of them, to be exact), and is coming off one of the most remarkable runs we've ever seen.
He came home to Cleveland, made the Cavaliers franchise a contender overnight, and helped his team overcome a 3-1 deficit in the 2015-16 Finals against a Golden State Warriors unit that broke Jordan's Bulls' 95-96' record of 72 victories in a season with 73 of their own.
Anyone who ever doubted his talent and leadership intangibles was given a swift kick in the opinion sector of their brain stemming from his performance. It also got people comparing him to Jordan again and not feeling bad about themselves for doing it.
All they're doing by reigniting such a conversation is entering a battlefield with no chance of survival.
Jordan wasn't perfect, but he was as close to perfect as you could get as a basketball player. He treated winning like it were life and death, and never became complacent. Even when he was in peak form decimating opposing teams left and right, he still felt like he had something to prove.
Perhaps the "ghosts" of the likes of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird gave him a nudge in the right direction, but even so, Jordan was his own man, carving his own path because being second to anyone was unacceptable.
Lest we forget that it took Jordan several years before the Bulls made the Finals.
Bird's Celtics and the "Bad Boy" Pistons impeded his path, but once he got over that hump, The Windy City evolved into a "Winning City" with M.J. at the forefront for six titles (two three-peats) in eight years. Had he not ventured into baseball, perhaps it would have been a perfect 8-of-8.
The magic number for championships is six, as set by Jordan. James is halfway there, but even if he were to double that number by the end of his career, would anyone have the guts to knock Jordan off his proverbial perch?
Probably not.
LeBron vs. Michael (Career Achievements)
| Player | Seasons | Championships | NBA Finals MVP | NBA MVP | All-Star | All-Star Game MVP | All-NBA First Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Jordan | 15 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 14 | 3 | 10 |
| LeBron James | 13+ | 3 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 10 |
James entered the league when he was just 18 years old straight out of high school, while Jordan spent three years as a Tar Heel before being drafted third overall in 1984. He also retired on two occasions, once during his absolute prime.
Whether we like it or not, that time away from the game means something.
Considering how immortal he appears when dodging major injuries, it's safe to assume that James still has many years left of high-quality basketball, even if his numbers temper off just a bit before his inevitable retirement. He's a more complete player than Jordan ever was as a quadruple threat in scoring, rebounding, playmaking, and defending, which is evident in his statistics.
LeBron vs. Michael (Career Statistics)
| Player | Games | MPG | PPG | FG% | 3P% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Jordan | 1072 | 38.3 | 30.1 | 49.7 | 32.7 | 6.2 | 5.3 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 27.9 |
| LeBron James | 987 | 39 | 27.2 | 49.8 | 34 | 7.2 | 6.9 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 27.7 |
James will finish with more of everything numbers-wise, if only because he'll have played more games and minutes. That still won't help his cause. He could hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy another three times and put some more MVP awards on his mantle, and it still won't matter.
Jordan is the GOAT. Heck, Jordan may be the God of the NBA.
Six championships and six Finals MVP's in six attempts is as good as it gets, reflecting his reign of dominance over other mere mortals.
It's admirable that James is striving for such a lofty goal, even though he'll never reach it. Jordan transcended the sport, becoming an icon as both an athlete and a brand, and was perfect when it mattered most. James' imperfections, including a 3-4 Finals record and his "Heatles" alliance with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, will all - unjustly or not - be held against him.
James is a once-in-a-lifetime star, and if anyone deserves to be in the conversation with Jordan, it's the other famous No. 23.
His focus just needs to be getting the next generation to not "be like Mike," but play like LBJ.
