The names of few professional basketball athletes are recognizable to both avid basketball fans and disinterested laypeople. One of the first, if not the first, athlete to pop into anyone's head is the legendary Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan, also known as His Airness, MJ and Air Jordan, is widely considered the greatest basketball player of all time. Throughout his professional career, Jordan continued to change the game and redefine the entire sport of basketball. However, in 2002, an aspiring athlete named LeBron Raymone James, also known as King James or simply LeBron, immediately rose to prominence and attracted the attention of the entire NBA community. The young star quickly demonstrated his extraordinary ability, receiving hype of becoming the next Michael Jordan. Looking closer, I found that the similarities between the two players are striking. LeBron James began his career playing for the Cleveland Caviler and currently plays for the Miami Heat, while Jordan spent the majority of his career playing for the Chicago Bulls. In terms of physical attributes, Jordan stands 1.98 m tall and weighs approximately 98 kg. On the other hand, King James stands 2.03 m tall and weighs around 113.4 kg. Although Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York, he attended Emsley A. Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina. Jordan's basketball career began playing for the Emsley A. Laney High School basketball team. In addition to basketball, Jordan played baseball and American football during his high school years. By comparison, LeBron was born in Akron, Ohio. He attended St. Vincent–St. Mary in Akron, where he also played for the school team. LeBron has been widely touted as a future NBA superstar by numerous national media outlets... center of paper... two-time MVP, NBA Rookie of the Year, NBA scoring champion, six-time All-NBA First Team, Second Team All-NBA twice, NBA All-Defensive First Team 4 times, NBA All-Rookie First Team, 2012 USA Basketball Men's Athlete of the Year, 2012 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, Cleveland Cavaliers All-Time Leading Scorer, Naismith Prep Player of the Year 2013 and Mr. Basketball USA two years in a row. Since none of the players were active in the same era and never clashed during their primes, we can't definitively decide who is better. Clearly, as is evident from the huge list of awards both players have earned, both Michael Jordan and LeBron James changed the game of basketball forever. Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I believe both Jordan and James are two of the greatest basketball superstars to ever live.