Michael Jordan: Kobe Bryant still ahead of LeBron James on NBA's all-time list

M.J. used simple math to chime in on a debate about two of the all-time greats

Thanks to his sustained greatness in recent years with no signs of slowing, Cavaliers star LeBron James is sparking talk about whether he will surpass Michael Jordan as the greatest player in NBA history. But M.J. says there's at least one player who's still in front of James: Former Lakers great Kobe Bryant.

While speaking at his summer camp, "Flight School," in Southern California, Jordan said Monday that Bryant still ranks ahead of James based strictly on the number of titles each has won.

"Would I rank LeBron over Kobe? In terms of best of all time? No," Jordan said while fielding questions from campers. "There's something about five that beats three. ... Kobe won five championships. LeBron won three -- although he's been to seven [straight] Finals."

Jordan hasn't changed his opinion since he made a similar comment in 2013, when LeBron only had one title and Kobe his five.

Does the logic hold up? If judging solely by championships, Bill Russell (11 titles) would be the best player of all time, and Jordan would land behind players like Jim Loscutoff (7) and Robert Horry (7).

Clearly there are other factors beyond titles, and you can see how the two legends stack up statistically.

The fact Bryant teamed with Shaquille O'Neal for his first three titles and James has had a plethora of superstar teammates for his rings makes things somewhat equal, so Jordan may be saying that since each is great in his own way, the only way to separate them is judging the amount of championships.

It's as reasonable as any other criteria for comparing players, particularly ones of different sizes and skill sets.