In the history of the NBA, there have been plenty of stars who have come and gone. One of the superstars who has come along, but is still leaving his mark on the Basketball world is LeBron James. Before there was LeBron, though, there was the legendary Michael Jordan, who helped will the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles back in the 1990s. While James has only half as many titles, he's achieved what appears to be much more. So is LeBron James better than Michael Jordan?

The case for Michael Jordan

Michael Jeffrey Jordan took the league by storm when he was drafted as the No.

3 pick by the Chicago Bulls back in 1984. That arrival came after three seasons of college basketball at North Carolina including a game-winning shot in the 1982 NCAA Championship Game. That doesn't count when it comes to the NBA "G.O.A.T." discussions, though.

It was Jordan's NBA career that really paved the way for future stars in the league. He transcended pop culture in a way that no other basketball star or professional athlete had before. Jordan not only helped put basketball on the map in more places, but he also helped put brands in clearer focus including Gatorade, Nike, and McDonald's. Still, those don't necessarily make him the greatest of all time.

It was his career feats that make the case for Jordan as the NBA's best.

He struggled to get past some of the tougher Eastern Conference foes such as the Detroit Pistons in the late 1980s. However, MJ led the Bulls to their first three-peat starting in 1991 and wrapping up in 1993. He would retire in 1993 after his father's murder. MJ tried his hand at baseball, struck out mightily, and returned to the basketball court.

With the words "I'm back," the basketball spotlight once again shined down upon Jordan and the Bulls. They would go on to accomplish another three-peat with MJ back on the floor as they bested the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1996 NBA Finals, followed by the Utah Jazz in the next two editions of the Finals. Jordan was brilliant throughout those games and also helped the team achieve a 72-10 record back in the 1995-96 season.

How about the stats, though? MJ played in 15 seasons, with his final two as part of a comeback attempt with the Washington Wizards. During those seasons, he compiled a career which included 30.1 points per game, 6.2 rebounds a game, 5.3 assists per game, and 2.3 steals per game. He also had a career shooting average of 49.7 percent per game and a three-point average of 32.7 percent.

Michael Jordan's awards and accomplishments are numerous but include being named to the All-Star team 14 times, the All-NBA First Team 10 times, the NBA All-Defensive Team nine times, and winning the league's scoring title 10 times.

He also has six NBA Finals MVP awards, five NBA MVP awards, and three NBA All-Star Game MVP awards. In addition, he was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1988 and was a three-team steals leader in the NBA, showing his defensive skills.

The case for LeBron James

LeBron James was making basketball history before the NBA as he was given the cover of "Sports Illustrated" as a high school player and proclaimed the league's next great star. Those proclamations were certainly true. While there are arguments involving some of his career decisions and failures, he has put his name up into the discussion as potentially the greatest player in the history of the sport.

If the Cleveland Cavaliers are able to beat the Boston Celtics in the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals, it marks the eighth-straight time that a team led by LeBron has made the Finals.

He's only won the championship three of those times, but arguments can be made that he has been up against some tough opposition. That includes the well-coached San Antonio Spurs teams and the star-powered Golden State Warriors. Still, just the fact that LeBron continues to get to the finals and at this stage in his career is a testament to his athletic brilliance.

The stats and accomplishments for LeBron James don't lie, either. Just like Jordan, LeBron is a 14-time NBA All-Star, as he's made the team every season since 2005.

He's won the MVP three times, just like Jordan. He's an 11-time All-NBA First Team member, a five-time NBA All-Defensive team member, and a four-time NBA MVP. LeBron has only achieved one scoring title during his career, but there are arguments in favor of his all-around stats.

The King has played in 15 seasons and counting, giving him more time to rack up big career numbers. So far, he's got career averages of 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. LeBron holds a 50.4 percent field goal average and a 34.4 percent three-point average for his career. His free throw shooting is at about 74 percent, which is several percentage points lower than MJ's.

What many people feel is the biggest knock against LeBron James was his need for additional help.

The first example was his decision to leave Cleveland to form a "Big Three" on the Miami Heat along with fellow stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. That resulted in LeBron's first two NBA titles. Arguments have been made that without help from Hall of Fame player Ray Allen, one of those Miami titles may never have happened.

LeBron's other championship win came when he decided to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers several seasons ago. By then, the team had drafted rising star Kyrie Irving as their floor general. A trade was also made to bring star power forward Kevin Love to "The Land." Ultimately, that helped them win a championship in 2016. That title win was also impressive in that it involved a huge comeback after being down 1-3 in the series to the heavily-favored Golden State Warriors.

That history-making moment helped etch LeBron and the Cavs' names in the history books.

Who is the G.O.A.T.?

So is LeBron James better than Michael Jordan? Some may argue that in terms of his longevity in the game at the elite level he's continued to display, LeBron James is easily the "G.O.A.T." of the NBA. However, others will argue that a perfect 6-0 NBA Finals record versus LeBron James' 3-5 record is what sets the two apart.

There are plenty of arguments to be made, with the biggest seeming to be that Michael Jordan was able to will his team to those wins when the game was on the line and made sure they brought the trophy home. In addition, he helped make the players around him better to the point Scottie Pippen become one of the league's greats and even led the Bulls to a successful season when Jordan first retired.

It's unknown how many seasons LeBron James has left in him, but that only gives him plenty more time to move up the all-time stats leaderboards and potentially grab several more championships to make his case.
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