While LeBron James is in the eyes of many, the greatest player to grace an NBA basketball court, to tenured veterans like Paul Pierce, he's still has a lot more to do to be mentioned in the same breath as Michael Jordan.

The soon-to-be-retired swingman has been adamant about calling out those who dare compare James to some of the game's greats, just as he did so with his co-panelist Tracy McGrady on ESPN's The Jump when he chose James rather than Magic Johnson in his all-time starting five.

This time, Pierce picked on Fox Sports 1's Nick Wright, who went on Undisputed claiming that the King had already surpasses His Airness since Game 6 of the NBA Finals last year.

While this dispute has been going on for years, the stats say that LeBron has been the more efficient player, while providing a more well-rounded game.

If we want to compare apples to apples, we're already starting off the wrong foot, as Jordan played the shooting guard position throughout his whole career for the exception of his last two seasons with the Washington Wizards, where he had to play at small forward because the speed just wasn't there.

James has played at small forward his entire career, sometimes even playing power forward in a small lineup. We're just comparing two different positions with a height difference of two inches and a weight disparity of 34 pounds.

The NBA has also changed immensely since Jordan played in it, with the three-point line only being there for a total of five seasons when he was first drafted (still quite unpopular), the constant hand-checking and all-around physical play style that is just not allowed in today's game.

The league is much more offensive-minded as well, with nearly every score going up to triple digits, which was a lot more different from what we saw 30 years ago.

Scoring 35 points out of 86 points is a lot more impactful than scoring 35 out of 128.

If we're to compare statistics, it's gonna be nearly impossible to put the generational gap in perspective because there just isn't a metric for it — a two-point shot is a two-point shot, no matter whether Jordan had to go through three defenders for it, or if James scored uncontestedly by blowing past his defender.

If we're talking rings only, LeBron lost that fight before it even started after getting swept in the 2007 NBA Finals by the San Antonio Spurs. Comparing the number of rings just won't matter since the argument will always go back to Jordan winning every single Finals encounter for a perfect 6-0.

Most veterans like Pierce often go back to this latest argument as to why Jordan is the greatest player and in some ways — unmatchable. But it may take until LeBron James retires for people to appreciate his greatness and give him his proper due. After all… we never appreciate what we have until it's gone.