Will LeBron James Be the Best Ever?

Many fans of the National Basketball Association, NBA, often wonder when we will see the next Michael Jordan come along. Or perhaps, will there ever be another Jordan? LeBron James is just one of the talented players in the NBA now that have drawn debate over whether they could be the heir to the mighty thrown as the best basketball player ever.

LeBron James came in to the league with the highly touted NBA Draft Class of 2003 with players like Darko Milicic and Carmelo Anthony who were drafted second and third respectively while James went first overall. James has been referred to by fans as the second coming since his high school days when his games were regularly televised unlike any other high school star in recent memory. LeBron is even called The King, after his last names resemblance to the well-known English ruler King James. The moniker of top dog doesn't seem bother LeBron James in the least. In fact, James seems to feed off of the top billing, and it seems to make him even better.

Over his first 2 seasons, LeBron James has averaged 26.5 points per game, 6.6 assists, and 6.6 rebounds. James has been Mr. Everything for the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise. His ability to score when it counts and bring his teammates into the contest is unlike any active player. LeBron is the quintessential teammate and performer and the stats only prove that point. The attitude of this star is no different. LeBron James has been nothing but supportive of the team and team only. If James has ever indicated that statistics were important to him, it would only have been the assists category, for which he has prided himself on for his ability to include his teammates.

So, is LeBron James going to be the best ever? After only 260 career games its extremely early to make that sort of assessment. But for the sake of argument, LeBron James does seem to be on the fast track to achieving Michael Jordan status. Branding himself into an icon with a full-fledged shoe and apparel line - Check. Using a share-the-ball offensive mentality (see Jordan's use of Phil Jackson's triangle offense) - Check. Immediately elevate his team to championship contenders - Check. Win multiple MVP awards and NBA Championships - Incomplete.

So based on the standard checklist for greatness, LeBron James seems to be well on his way to greatness. But the list for James still remains to be completed. So for now we'll conclude that LeBron James may eventually be the best ever to play the game, but that remains highly unlikely considering the difficulty of winning a NBA Finals Championship, much less multiple ones. LeBron is only 21 years old and can barely drink, so it seem that this debate will have to resume after James wins a few championships, and until then, Michael Jordan will remain atop the basketball world.