Is winning a title with a third team the key to LeBron James surpassing Michael Jordan?
The answer is complicated.
James is only chasing one person in his quest to be considered the greatest NBA player of all time. The fact that he is mentioned in the same breath as Jordan is already an incredible accomplishment, but James wants more.
"My motivation is this ghost I'm chasing," James told Sports Illustrated in 2016. "The ghost played in Chicago."
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With Cleveland's loss to Golden State in the 2017 NBA Finals and the up-and-down year the Cavaliers have experienced, the window for James to catch Jordan's ring total seems to be closing. Three more championships would almost assuredly mean having to go through the Warriors, not to mention the rising Rockets and more formidable challengers in the East. That seems... far-fetched.
James is clearly aware that he needs more talent surrounding him in order to make a run at catching Jordan in championships — just look at the flurry of moves made by the Cavaliers at the trade deadline. But even with the additions of George Hill, Rodney Hood, Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson, it is hard to imagine this current group taking down either the Warriors or Rockets in a seven-game series. And that's if Cleveland escapes a much more competitive East with a surging Raptors team at the top.
But does James have to match Jordan’s magic number to be considered the NBA’s greatest player?
In "chasing the ghost," there are other factors to consider, despite what the "RINGZZZ" crowd may tell you. James has been to two more Finals than Jordan, and it's not crazy to imagine James taking a few more trips there before he retires. Jordan can't match that sustained greatness in terms of conference domination. Additionally, James has surpassed Jordan as the all-time leading scorer in playoff history. (Jordan played less playoff games than James, but James also eclipsed Jordan's points total on less field goal attempts.)
It's also easy to argue James has the all-around advantage considering he has put up numbers no one may ever match.
1 - After recording his 8,000th career assist on Tuesday night, LeBron James became the first player in #NBA history to have at least 30,000 points, 8,000 rebounds, and 8,000 assists. Unrivaled. #AllForOne pic.twitter.com/zAg5hYAr4A
— OptaLarry🏀 (@OptaLarry) February 28, 2018
However, when we look back at the NBA’s greatest players, there is often a common factor — they have played for and won multiple championships with the same organization. Jordan (let's pretend those Wizards years never happened), Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and the incomparable Bill Russell come to mind.
Only a handful of NBA Hall of Famers have brought a championship to two cities. James is joined by Wilt Chamberlain (Sixers, Lakers), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Bucks, Lakers), Shaquille O’Neal (Lakers, Heat) and Bill Walton (Trail Blazers, Celtics).
No player in the Hall of Fame has been the most significant piece on a championship team in three different cities. The "one franchise" element working against James could be flipped to propel him into a different stratosphere. But would it be the best move for his legacy and his pursuit of Jordan?
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James accomplished what he set out to do when he announced back in 2014 he would return to Cleveland. He wanted to bring a championship to Northeast Ohio, and he delivered.
If James were to leave Cleveland this offseason, the interesting question lies in what team he chooses. James' list appears to be down to four teams: the Cavs, Lakers, 76ers and Rockets.
Remaining in Cleveland and winning another ring would solidify his legacy. When he hangs up his jersey for good, LeBron will be revered as the man who returned home and stayed true to his word.
"I always believed I would return to Cleveland," James said in his Sports Illustrated article announcing his return to the Cavs. "And finish my career there."
Should James decide to move on this summer, he could build up his final credentials in a different way. However, it's probably best if he avoids Houston.
The Rockets own the best record in the NBA this season, plus the likely MVP in James Harden paired with a future Hall of Famer in Chris Paul. We have already seen the response to Kevin Durant in his pursuit of a ring. His decision to team up with Stephen Curry and a loaded Warriors squad was met with intense disdain in Oklahoma City and turned Durant into the villain at every road game last season.
James wouldn't deal with quite the level of fan hatred he encountered when he took his talents to Miami (nothing could match that), but it wouldn't be pretty. The bigger concern might be how a potential championship in Houston would be viewed with James simply tagging along as a passenger and Harden steering the ship. Remember, Jordan was undeniably the central figure on all of his title teams, even if he did have more help than Jordan supporters would care to admit.
Los Angeles or Philadelphia serve as better options. James needs to be in a position where he is leading a young, yet talented team to a title. If he pushes the Lakers or Sixers from fringe playoff team to annual contender, that's another box James can check, and it would give him the most unique resume in NBA history.
James could also age gracefully, relying on guys like Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid or Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma as his athleticism declines. (That has to decline at some point, right?) James won't average something close to 27-8-8, but he will remain an effective player into his late 30s given his high IQ and elite passing ability. A slightly slower, small-ball center version of LeBron is still terrifying.
For now, James is in a precarious position as we approach the 2018 playoffs. The Cavs only have so much time to figure out how the new pieces fit into the puzzle, and LeBron's window is shrinking every day. Don't think Cleveland's finish won't impact how he approaches a difficult decision in the next few months.
And don't think for a minute Jordan's ghost isn't in the back of his mind, too.