LeBron James' Greatness Should Be Defined by NBA Titles

There are excellent, Hall of Fame players in the NBA that never won a title. Dominique Wilkins, Reggie Miller, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Allen Iverson, John Stockton, Karl Malone, George Gervin and Elgin Baylor all come to mind.

Not one of those players deserves to have his legacy desecrated because he never won a title. We should focus more on the amazing things they accomplished, not what they failed to do.

So why is LeBron James any different? Why should his legacy be tied to championships?

Because LeBron has the opportunity to reach the pantheon of greats, that's why. Because he has the chance to place his legacy on the Mount Olympus of NBA legends, alongside players like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and, yes, even Kobe Bryant.

He's that good, or at least, he has that much potential.

In no other sport can one player affect the outcome of a game like a basketball player can. There are only five players on the court at any given time, for one. Each player has the ability to affect a larger portion of the game than you find in other sports.

There's only so much that one player can accomplish in football—even the quarterback—when 10 other players need to do their jobs for the team to have success.

Same with soccer. As good as Lionel Messi is, if you replaced the rest of Barcelona's roster with MLS players, I don't think they'd win many La Liga games.

Some positions in other sports can have a special impact—a pitcher in baseball or a goalie in hockey, for example—but a shutout in either sport doesn't mean much if the team behind that player doesn't score a few runs or goals.

But in basketball, one player can will his team to victory.

He can't do it alone, of course, and that was at least one of the deciding factors for James when he left the Cleveland Cavaliers to sign with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.

But he can have a far greater impact than players in other sports can.

We've seen M.J. take over games. We've watched Kobe go into assassin mode in the fourth quarter and steal a win for the Lakers. We all know that the Chicago Bulls went from being a championship contender with Derrick Rose to a team that might not survive the first round without him.

One player can make all the difference.

And that's why a player can never be one of the transcendent greats in the NBA without winning a title. It's why Tim Duncan will go down in history as the greatest power forward in history, not Karl Malone.

It's why Bill Russell is always remembered with more reverence than the great Wilt Chamberlain. Yes, Chamberlain won two championships and was arguably the greatest player that ever lived.

But Russell won 11 titles.

If LeBron wants more than simply a Hall of Fame career, if he wants to be mentioned in the same breath as Jordan, Magic and Russell, he needs to win titles. One would help, but willing the Heat to several would cement his place in the pantheon of greats.

Yes, we are holding him to a different standard. We should—his potential dictates that we expect more from him. Like it or not, it cannot be denied that he is a truly special talent.

And that's why championships will define LeBron's legacy. Because we all know he'll be remembered as a great player.

But whether or not he's legendary all hinges on how many rings he wears on his hand, if any at all, once his career ends.

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