LeBron James: Rings shouldn't always be best measure of greatness

LeBron James heard the talk that Michael Jordan would pick Kobe Bryant over James because the championship rings scoreboard reads Kobe 5, LeBron 1.
James, during interviews Friday for All-Star Media Day, said championships shouldn’t always be the determining factor in comparing greatness among players.
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"At the end of the day, rings don't always define someone's career," James said. "If that’s the case, then I'd sit up here and say I would take (Bill) Russell over Jordan. But I wouldn't. I wouldn't take Russell over Jordan. Russell has 11 rings, Jordan has six. ... I wouldn't that On My Door."
James elaborated further, which is an apparent indication of how much Jordan’s comments may stick in James’ craw.

LeBron James, left, said if he judged players based solely on the number of championship rings, he would have to pick Bill Russell over Michael Jordan. But he wouldn't do that. (AP Photo)

"I don't play the game and try to define who I am over what guys say or how they feel about me," James said. "It doesn't matter to me. I play for my family, for my teammates, for my coaching staff and I play for our fans, and that's it. What do I need bulletin board material for? My inspiration is the game I love. I don't need nobody to pick me or not."
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Adding fuel to the fire is Magic Johnson’s comments on Twitter on whether he’d take Jordan or LeBron in a game of 1-on-1.
"Easy answer MJ all day, every day!” Johnson said earlier this week. “If MJ and LeBron played 1-on-1 10 times, MJ would win all 10. MJ is the ultimate 1-on-1 player!"
Well, we do know this. James is playing the best basketball of his career, and Sunday’s All-Star Game should be his next showcase. There’s no debating that.