He's no Jordan. No Bird. No Magic. No Kareem. Heck, he's no Kobe Bryant. Where does Lebron James really rank among the greatest of all-time?

MJ or LJ? Where does Lebron rank among the NBA greats?

As the final buzzer sounded at American Airlines Arena, the tone of the situation shifted away from the celebration. While die hard heat followers (If there are any) reveled in their team's back-to-back NBA championships, there was much less celebration occurring on social media outlets and across the web. Rather than congratulate the Heat or spurn their rise to greatness, the world finally received what we all knew was coming, talk of Lebron's all-time legacy.  After two full days of SportsCenter's (HeatCenter?) intense coverage of the Heat, the world knew what awaited if the Heat raised the Larry O’Brien Trophy Thursday night. And what ensued was utterly amazing. I don't think I've seen such a mixture of emotions  for one man since the 2012 Presidential Election. He proved the doubters wrong. Again. Lebron James, Two-Time NBA Champion. Two straight NBA Finals MVPs. Everyone knows all the other accolades. So where does Lebron James fit in among the greatest to ever play the game? Is he better than Michael Jordan? What ever happened to Keyon Dooling? Only the American media will be able to speculate and dramatize these questions for the next two weeks.

But really, how has Lebron moved himself up the NBA totem pole after another championship? He's no Kareem. He's no Bird. He's no Magic. He's definitely no Michael Jordan. It's not the question of who's better; it's just inaccurate to compare players from different generations. Kareem played his best in the 1970's. Bird and Magic controlled the 80's. MJ ruled atop the NBA in the 90's. Lebron was drafted in the 2003 NBA Draft. That was Jordan’s last season in the NBA. Lebron won his first championship in 2012, 14 years after Jordan's last in 1998. Some would throw Kobe Bryant into the discussion. I would throw in Tim Duncan (I think people often overlook the argument of Duncan versus Bryant for the best player of their generation, but that folks is for another day). Maybe the best comparison between the modern group of NBA superstars and the old guard NBA legends occurred in the 1998 NBA All-Star Game. Kobe was 19. Duncan was a rookie. Lebron was in middle school. Jordan was in the middle of his 13th NBA season. Bird was COACHING the Eastern All-Star team. 

Even as one of the most vocal Lebron haters, I have to respect the man. He is a freak. It’s hard to think anyone could beat him in a game of one-on-one. In my opinion, he is without a doubt the most athletically-gifted NBA player of all-time. And arguably the most athletic human being the world has ever seen. Hypothetically, if Jordan in his prime and Lebron in his prime played a game of one-on-one, I think Lebron would win. He is just too big and too strong. While I believe Michael edges him in pure basketball talent and instinct, Lebron’s physical tools would make the difference. But Jordan will always be the greatest to ever play in my mind, if that makes sense. Talent wise, I think he is the most-skilled basketball player of all-time. But ultimately, I think the comparisons between Lebron and Jordan are unfair and are too publicized by the media. They're two completely different players. In two different generations. As much as people attempt to accurately compare the two, it simply cannot be done.

In the grand scheme of things, it's hard to tell where Lebron fits in among the greatest of all-time. Any basketball fan prompted with the question would provide a different answer, with a different justification. He’s definitely a top ten NBA talent of all-time. No question about it. He is nothing short of a once in a lifetime player. Now where he fits in among those top 10 players is a whole lot harder to decide. There is a select group of players of which can be argued for admission into the top ten all-time club. This group includes the following (in no particular order): Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Oscar Robertson, Shaquille O’Neal, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Jerry West, and Hakeem Olajuwan. And now, Lebron James. The following list is, in my opinion, the top ten NBA players of all-time.

1. Michael Jordan

2. Magic Johnson  

3. Bill Russell

4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 

5. Larry Bird

6. Wilt Chamberlain

7. Shaquille O’Neal

8. Tim Duncan

9. Kobe Bryant

10. Lebron James

Right now, Lebron is number ten on my list. By the end of his career I fully expect him to be a top 5 player of all-time. He will go down as indisputably the greatest player of his generation and perhaps the greatest player of all-time. At this point, he doesn’t have the whole package. He surely has the talent, just not the awards and accolades. To surpass the other players on this list and truly be known as one of the all-time greats, he simply needs to do more. More championships (At least two), a couple more MVP awards, and a scoring title here or there would be nice. With all of this, there would be no argument. Lebron would cement himself as arguably the greatest to play the sport of basketball. He’s almost there. Close, but no cigar. And what happens if he does not accomplish all of this? Is he really an NBA great then? Or was he a great player who could never amount to legendary status? Only time will tell Lebron’s all-time legacy. The weight is on his shoulders and the whole world will be doubting him. But hey, he’s done it before.