LeBron James is easy to hate. Having faced more media scrutiny than perhaps any other athlete in history, every negative act he’s ever committed has been firmly placed under a microscope and scrutinized to no end. Granted, some of his actions do warrant criticism. He probably could have handled “the decision” a little more delicately, and getting a tattoo saying “The Chosen One” to cover his entire back perhaps comes off as arrogant to some.

Michael Jordan, on the other hand, is flawless in the media’s eye -  the perfect basketball player who cannot possibly be surpassed. With the media’s portrayals of the two, it is almost difficult to tell that LeBron James has a very real chance, and the best chance of any active player (including Kobe Bryant) of surpassing Michael Jordan as the greatest basketball player of all time.

LeBron James has accomplished more than any other 27-year-old in NBA history. From a statistical standpoint, he has proven himself to be the best all-round player that the league has ever seen. Jordan has the edge scoring-wise, and is, in my opinion, the best overall scorer the league has ever seen. However, LeBron still gets his, and is better than MJ in virtually every other aspect of basketball. He’s a superior rebounder, ball handler, playmaker and athlete.

LeBron has proven himself to be the most versatile player in the history of the game. There has never been anybody other than LeBron, who was capable of playing all five positions at an elite level. On the same wavelength, nobody has ever had LeBron’s combination of size, speed and strength. It is quite reasonable to say that LeBron is the most physically gifted athlete we’ve ever seen on the basketball court. 

Defensively, Jordan certainly wreaked havoc. He was a master at forcing turnovers, and had the wingspan, athleticism and instincts necessary to be one of the league’s best lockdown perimeter defenders. James, however, with his clear size and strength advantage, is not only an elite perimeter defender. He’s also an elite post defender, as shown by his play in the London Olympics. Jordan often got bullied in the post by the likes of Larry Bird. James has begun a transformation into the director of whatever team he plays for, including Team USA where he was, according to coach Krzyzewski, the “clear leader” of a team that included Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant. LeBron, as of now, virtually has no flaws in his game.

While Jordan and James both won their first rings at age 27, James experienced far greater team success than Jordan did early in his career. He was able to post multiple 60+ win seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He even made a finals appearance despite his most talented teammate being Mo Williams. People often criticize LeBron for leaving Cleveland to go team up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, but this is disrespectful to Pippen, who was arguably the best wing-player in the league other than Jordan.

People often forget that Jordan posted five losing seasons and went 1-9 in the playoffs without Pippen. Pippen usually took on the toughest defensive assignment, was an amazing all-around player and arguably the best second option in the history of basketball.

The point is, superstars need help when winning championships, and while Wade and Chris Bosh are certainly extremely talented second and third options, LeBron clearly established himself as the best player and alpha dog on that Heat team. The same can’t be said for Kobe during his three-peat years with Shaquille O' Neal, yet when he gets compared to LeBron it's simply “five rings to one.”

So what is the standard we use to define greatness? The reason Jordan is at the top of most peoples’ greatest of all-time lists is because he combined statistical dominance with championship success. So even though Bill Russell won 11 championships, he is not considered the greatest because he doesn’t have the offensive numbers Jordan has, and he played in an era where it was easier to win rings. Why shouldn’t the same argument apply to LeBron? 

Winning a ring gets more and more difficult every year as players are getting more talented and more athletic every day with improved nutrition and athletic technology, as well as the development of advanced defenses implemented by coaches like Tom Thibodeau, designed specifically to stop superstars. At the same time, whether or not a team wins a championship can be determined largely by the play of teammates, level of competition, etc.

In other words, rings are a more subjective measurement of success than individual performance, and should not be the essential element when determining which player is better. With that said, championships are certainly important and LeBron has to win more rings in order to ever be considered higher than Jordan on the Greatest of All Time lists, but he doesn’t necessarily have to get six or more. 

Considering his physical gifts and talent now surrounding him, there’s nothing that says LeBron (barring injury) won’t be able to play deep into his 30s like Jordan did and win at least a few more. With his recently developed post-play and improved killer instinct, LeBron truly has an amazing opportunity to surpass Michael Jordan as the best basketball player this league has ever seen. Don’t believe me? Just ask Phil Jackson or Larry Bird. All we have to do as fans is sit back and watch.

Reach Staff Writer Benjamin Young here.