LeBron James needs more titles before Michael Jordan comparisons become legitimate, according to Charles Barkley

Miami Heat forward LeBron James's on-court accomplishments might not come close to matching those of Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan yet, but Charles Barkley believes that it's possible for the present-day superstar to match MJ, as ESPN Chicago reports.

As Barkley said on ESPN 1000 on Monday,

If LeBron can win four or five (titles), it's a legitimate conversation in my opinion,.I never thought I would compare someone to Michael Jordan. I was like, Karl Malone is great, Patrick Ewing is great, John Stockton is great, that guy's better.

After winning the NBA Finals in the spring, most analysts have pegged the Heat as heavy favorites to repeat as champions this season, primarily because of James's emergence as the sport's dominant player. A three-time MVP, James averaged 27.1 points , 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game last season for Miami.

Barkley notes that James still needs to stay healthy over the long haul, but he's got such impressive physical attributes that his potential is simply special. At the age of 27 with one title already under his belt, it's pretty realistic to believe that LeBron has a reasonable shot at six-plus rings.