National Basketball Association

Former Michael Jordan teammate warns LeBron not to 'chase a ghost'

Published Aug. 3, 2016 12:22 a.m. ET

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LeBron James welcomed the comparisons to Michael Jordan on Tuesday, when he told Sports Illustrated that he's motivated by chasing the ghost that played in Chicago.

Comparisons to Jordan have followed LeBron ever since he broke into the NBA, donning the same No. 23 His Airness made famous. But one of the Jordan's former teammates has a message for LeBron: don't chase this ghost.

"Chasing a ghost is in make-believe land," B.J. Armstrong told ESPN. "That's far out, that's unattainable, that's something you can't achieve. This ain't no ghost. If you want to do it, there's a blueprint. It's possible. There's only one way to get there. It's not possible for him to do what Jordan did because the circumstances are different, everything is different.

"What is possible for him is to be bigger than every situation that's put in front of him, to dominate every situation that's in front of him.''

Armstrong played alongside Jordan during the height of MJ's career as the two helped the Chicago Bulls win the franchise's first three championships. Armstrong witnessed Jordan take apart the league in a way few had done before, cementing his legacy as arguably the best player in NBA history.

Armstrong believes that LeBron has to rid himself of any comparisons and take on the mentality of destroying the competition.

"This is to LeBron James: If you want to be the best, get rid of the comparisons," Armstrong said. "Get rid of all the comparisons that are out there. That's what Michael Jordan did. Jordan realized that in order to be the best you had to get rid of all the comparisons. When you compared Jordan to somebody else, it made him more and more upset. That was with guys who played before him, guys he was playing against, and guys in the future."

Jordan's perfect run in the Finals -- winning all six of his appearances in the championship round while claiming Finals MVP during each title -- elevated his legacy to heights that haven't been seen since.

James made up some ground in the debate during this year's Finals, helping the Cavaliers become the first team in Finals history to erase a 3-1 deficit to beat a Warriors team that had won a record 73 regular-season games. But he faces arguably his toughest challenge this season as the Warriors added four-time scoring champion Kevin Durant. If James were to derail the Warriors once again, he could move a step closer to Jordan's crown.