Even in His Prime, Will LeBron James Ever Reach "MJ" Status?

Most critics believe that Kobe Bryant is the closest a player has ever come to being considered the next Michael Jordan. Even still, he is a very distant second.

Nothing against Bryant, because I am a huge fan, it's just the fact that Jordan was honestly that good. With the defensive pressure and scoring prowess that M.J. brought to the court night in and night out, it's hard for anyone to duplicate his love for the game.

Bryant jumped from high school to the NBA, ready to prove himself worthy. Jordan, on the other hand, went to college before jumping to the NBA, already a proven winner.

The similarities and differences between the two can go on for ages, but the more dominant player at this point is Michael Jordan. Jordan won six NBA Championships with the Chicago Bulls, five MVP trophies, 14 NBA All-Star selections, and a 10-time All-NBA First Team Selection, amongst many other awards.

Besides Kobe's 81-point game, most of the statistics between M.J. and Kobe are in favor of Jordan. That is the one reason why it's unfair to compare Kobe Bryant to Michael Jordan at this point in Bryant's career.

There really is no player in the history of the NBA, in fact, that can be compared to the great "Air Jordan" at this time. Later on in his career, Bryant may be considered an heir to M.J.; however, at this present time, it's unfair to both Bryant and Jordan to say that.

The only other player in the NBA right now that I can see reaching the "M.J." status sometime in his career would have to be LeBron James.

Making a name for himself by coming to the NBA straight out of high school, James did not disappoint. After being with the Cleveland Cavaliers for a few years, he finally led them to the NBA Finals in 2007 against the San Antonio Spurs. Although at the time the Spurs were the more dominant team and ended up winning the championship that season, this was a sign of things to come.

James had one of those great career years this past season, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to the No. 1 seed in the East and the top record in the NBA. It was an MVP season for "King James", which leads me to believe that this may be a sign of things to come as well.

You never really know how players will turn out these days, going from college to the NBA. The NBA Draft is an especially tough time to judge the talent and potential in players. However, you never really had to second guess yourself when LeBron James entered the league.

An explosive and big-built player that could probably play football as a second profession, LeBron James could handle the ball extremely well and had the mentality of a shooting guard. He can drop 50 on you any given night, lighting you up from the perimeter or driving to the basket.

Sure sounds a lot like the way Jordan was perceived when he played the game.

"Is LeBron James the next Michael Jordan?"

Probably not, but you never know what can happen when a player is in his prime. No one really knows if that time is now for James or not, but if it is, he surely has the potential to be one of the all-time greats.

The same goes for Bryant, he has a lot of basketball left in him, so could he actually be the one that will be considered the heir to Jordan?

Time will tell, but both James and Bryant are phenomenal players in their own right. Later on after both of their respected careers are over, people may look for the heir to LeBron or Kobe, who knows?

Either way, Michael Jordan is the best basketball player to ever play the game. I just don't believe that anyone will be taking that title away from him anytime soon.