National Basketball Association

LeBron James' 'personal goal' is to surpass Michael Jordan as the NBA's greatest

Published Nov. 15, 2016 3:02 p.m. ET

Dan Graf

Through 13 NBA seasons, 12 All-Star Games, seven NBA Finals appearances, four league MVP awards, three championships and one scoring title, LeBron James has batted away comparisons to Michael Jordan and their comparative standing in league history.

As he begins season No. 14 three championships behind the player regarded as the greatest of all time, James admitted at Monday’s Cleveland Cavaliers media day that he’d like to take that distinction away from Jordan before he retires. Speaking exclusively to The Associated Press, James admitted that him saying it is new but pointed out that’s always been the goal:

James, of course, will need to get those three more championships to be in the discussion. And even though it feels like James has been around forever after coming to the NBA straight from high school, Jordan had the same number of titles at the same age (31). The road won’t be easy, but it can be traveled.