LeBron James: Why 3rd NBA MVP Solidifies LeBron as One of the Greatest Ever

A source close to ESPN's Brian Windhorst is reporting that LeBron James will be presented with the 2012 NBA MVP award on Sunday before the Heat kick-off their Eastern Conference semifinals series with the Indiana Pacers.

The 2012 MVP will be LeBron's third trophy of that kind in the past four years, which is a feat that only five other players in the history of the NBA have been able to accomplish.

LeBron joins the ranks of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, as the only players in NBA history to win at least three NBA MVP awards in less than four seasons.

While LeBron's third MVP award is quite an achievement, there is still a vast array of people that will discount his accomplishment based on the fact that he has yet to win an NBA championship. If you don't believe me, look no further than this Bleacher Report Facebook post.

There's no doubt that the championship vs. MVP argument is a legitimate one, but we can't simply discredit LeBron's incredible honor because he's failed to acquire his first NBA championship ring.

To understand the elite company that LeBron is in, take a minute and look at his career statistical production, as compared to the other seven players in the NBA with at least three MVP honors.

LeBron James (9 years): 27.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 6.9 APG, 1.7 STLPG, 48.3 FG%

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (20 years): 24.6 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 3.6 APG, 2.6 BLKPG, 55.9 FG%

Michael Jordan (15 years): 30.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 5.3 APG, 2.3 STLPG, 49.7 FG%

Bill Russell (13 years): 15.1 PPG, 22.5 RPG, 4.3 APG, 44.0 FG%

Wilt Chamberlain (15 years): 30.1 PPG, 22.9 RPG, 4.4 APG, 54.0 FG%

Larry Bird (13 years): 24.3 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 6.3 APG, 1.7 STLPG, 49.6 FG%

Magic Johnson (13 years): 19.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 11.2 APG, 1.9 STLPG, 52.0 FG%

Moses Malone (21 years): 20.3 PPG, 12.3 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.3 BLKPG, 49.5 FG%

When you compare the statistics in the listing above you'll see that LeBron ranks third in points per game, fifth in rebounds per game and second in assists per game when compared to other three-time MVP award winners.

The kind of company that LeBron is now in certainly speaks for itself regarding conversations around which players should be considered the greatest of all time.

While we've yet to see whether or not LeBron can come through in the clutch and help the Miami Heat win an NBA championship, there's no doubt that his production so far in his career is worthy of being at least in the conversation of being the greatest of all time.

For the sake of this argument let's say that LeBron wills the Heat to six NBA titles in his career, and he manages to average right around his current career averages.  Will that be a lofty enough combination to catapult him into the "better than Michael Jordan" conversation, or will LeBron forever be tainted by his decision to take his talents to South Beach?

No matter how you look at LeBron's production at this point in his career, there's no debating the fact that not only is he deserving of the 2012 NBA MVP award, he's also deserving of being in the conversation when it comes to being one of the greatest NBA players of all time.