By the numbers: Comparing LeBron to Jordan after same number of games

While LeBron James is still chasing "the ghost" of Michael Jordan, the Cleveland Cavaliers star can at least say he's managed to catch up with his Airness in one regard.

Tuesday's 124-119 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at Quicken Loans Arena marked James' 1,072nd career appearance in the regular season, which is exactly the same amount of games Jordan played during his legendary 15-year run.

Though his legacy as one of the greatest ever was cemented a long time ago, James has said that his continued motivation in the NBA is derived from wanting his name mentioned alongside Jordan's.

There's obviously more to the GOAT debate than just hard numbers, but now that James has equaled Jordan in games played, there's no time like the present to put their production side by side and see who's got the leg up on the other:

James vs. Jordan Career Statistics

(Courtesy: Basketball-Reference.com)

As expected, their statistics across the board are eerily similar.

The areas in which James has an advantage can largely be attributed to both his stature as a 6-foot-8, 250-pound juggernaut of a human being, and the shot-heavy era that he's competing in. The 3-pointer wasn't as prevalent in the '90s as it is today, where it's essentially become a necessity for all players to have developed some semblance of an outside game.

Jordan sits with the fourth-most points ever, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, and Kobe Bryant, with James right on their heels in seventh. James surely could have been higher in the scoring department, but as more of a facilitator than Jordan, his assists trump Jordan's by nearly 2,000, thus helping explain the disparity.

These numbers only tell a fraction of the story. When it's all said and done, James will have Jordan beat in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, and rejections based on length of tenure alone. His percentages should remain on par with where they're at now, as will his advanced metrics.

However, most James-Jordan enthusiasts will point to the hardware earned to help make their cases over who is the better man.

Titles aside, James has as good a claim as anyone to Jordan's throne - an idea that once seemed blasphemous to ponder.