Will LeBron James Ever Pass Michael Jordan and be the GOAT?

Michael Jordan is considered the greatest of all time (GOAT). But it could arguably be said that LeBron James accomplishments is putting him in the GOAT conversation. LeBron James just turned 32 years old on December 30, 2016. So lets look at a comparison of LBJ and MJ at the age of 31.

As you can see above, they are pretty even with LeBron edging out Jordan with most finals reached and one more regular season MVP. Now we know Jordan's overall accomplishments are way beyond what he accomplished at just age 31. But there are also other factors which are not measured simply by Championships and MVPs. Not all Championships are created equal depending on factors such as the competition level, historical significance etc.

So what are the accomplishments that put LeBron into the GOAT conversation? Here is a list.

• Took the Cleveland Cavaliers to the finals by himself with no help from another all-star or superstar. This is something Michael Jordan was not able to do, he only made it to the finals when Scottie Pippen joined the bulls.

• Beat better teams. LeBron beat a big three Celtics team (Pierce, Allen, Garnett), beat the Spurs a dynasty team, and beat the team with the greatest regular season record, the Golden State Warriors. Michael never faced super teams, he faced teams with mostly one Superstar.

• Lead his team from a 3-1 deficit to win the finals which has never been done before. Michael never went to a game 7, but also he ever faced a 73-9 team, a team that beat Michael's 95-96 Bulls 72-10 record. He also never faced defeated a dynasty team such as the Spurs.

• Lead all players on both teams in all statistic categories in a finals series (points, assists, blocks, steals, etc.)

• Appear in the top 10 or 15 of three statistical categories at the end of his career barring injuries - Points, Assists and Steals. MJ is in the top 10 for two categories, points and steals.

But the items above alone may not be enough to be pass MJ, here is what LeBron has to do to become the GOAT.

• Beat the 2017 Warriors team which now has 4 all-stars, including 2 superstars. A stacked team which includes 2 of the greatest shooters of all time and one of the greatest scores of all time.

• Win 2 more titles back to back and be the dominant player in both finals. If LeBron wins two more titles it will put him at a total of 5 titles, but his 2016 finals victory alone is worth 2 or 3 titles.