Should a future documentary be devoted to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers winning the 2016 NBA title? (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)AP

After captivating a massive audience for weeks, “The Last Dance” wrapped up Sunday night with the final two episodes of the 10-part smash hit documentary that chronicled the untold story of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ dynasty.

Episode 10 featured Chicago’s second three-peat, the final championship Jordan won with the Bulls before management broke up the team and Jordan went into retirement for a second time.

That title, his sixth overall, cemented his place as the GOAT (Greatest of All Time). Until LeBron James came around. Now, there’s a nonstop debate between the two that’s only been fueled over the last month. Channing Frye and Kendrick Perkins, a pair of former Cavaliers, have recently cast their vote for LeBron. Even Larry Nance Jr. is going back and forth with his dad on the topic.

“For me, the greatest player ever I’ve ever seen is LeBron. And for him, the greatest player he’s seen is Michael,” Nance said. “It’s almost something like a TV show in my head of the new generation versus the old. We’ve been comparing and contrasting eras and players.”

LeBron and MJ are forever linked. So, if this Jordan documentary received rave reviews, it’s worth wondering whether James will get his own years from now. After all, his third title, the signature one to this point, pushed him closer to Jordan in ring count — and GOAT status. Jordan even gave the go-ahead to use the footage for this documentary, 20 years in the making, on the same day LeBron and the Cavs celebrated their 2016 championship. And it was worth the wait, setting a new standard for sports documentaries.

Would LeBron’s be as awe-inspiring? What would it reveal about him? What storylines would be covered?

Entertainment and pop culture reporter Troy Smith and I went back and forth, answering the most pressing questions, starting with which season would be the focus.

Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James with cigar rides by the large poster of him during the victory parade, June 22, 2016. John Kuntz, cleveland.com

TS: Barring some sort of crazy ending to LeBron’s career, like maybe him playing with his son, there’s only one choice. Right? The 2015-16 season had it all. James returned to Cleveland looking to bring a championship here only to lose to the Warriors in The Finals. That’s the starting point.

Then we go into the season and another eventual meeting with the Warriors and then being down 3–1. Give me regular season drama with Kevin Love. Give me the Cavs firing a head coach despite being in first place. Give me the Draymond Green suspension controversy. It’s documentary gold. But few were closer to it than you, who covered that entire season. What do you think?

CF: I keep going back and forth on this one because I think there are actually two other options: His final season in Cleveland (the first one) in 2009-10, which forced The Decision, and his return to Cleveland in 2014. LeBron’s homecoming was one of those always-remember-where-you-were moments. And the season itself had plenty of compelling storylines.

He was given David Blatt as his head coach. After years of admiring his game from afar, he united with Kyrie Irving, which wasn’t always smooth. Integrating Kevin Love as the third member of The Big Three. Midseason trades to reshape the team. LeBron saying, “I scratched it” after hitting a game-winner against the Chicago Bulls, saving Blatt from an epic blunder and maybe an early postseason exit. The first chapter of the Warriors rivalry. Injuries to Love and Irving in the postseason that robbed the Cavs.

But, the more I think about it, I’m with you, Troy.

The easy, obvious answer is 2015-16. It ended with the Cavs winning their lone championship in franchise history, rallying from a 3-1 deficit against arguably the greatest regular season team ever. Plus, as you said, the numerous layers to that season — and the epic buildup — make for such compelling footage. It’s the title that some think makes LeBron the GOAT, helping erase the black mark on his resume — delivering on his promise to the city of Cleveland. It’s storybook.

I know Clevelanders would be into it, but books and stories have been written already. In this era of social media and sportswriting, it’s been chronicled so much, with immense depth. Do you think that plays a factor in how it would be viewed?

TS: Part of me wonders how much the season matters. As we’ve seen with “The Last Dance,” it’s really a bit of the Bulls’ 1997-98 season and then a ton of flashbacks. So obviously, in a LeBron doc, we’d get it all, from his high school days to The Decision to his Cleveland return. But to get to your point, we have seen it all documented in various media forms. That’s part of why I don’t know if a LeBron documentary could ever live up to “The Last Dance.” Jordan was such an enigma. This is our first time seeing him sit down like this and get so personal. That’s a huge part of the appeal.

I feel like I know LeBron better, because he’s put himself out there more. Sure, he’s controlled his image very well. But he posts home videos on social media. I don’t know. Is there a side to LeBron James the general public hasn’t seen that could make it into a documentary? Some of this MJ stuff is shocking. Would things about LeBron shock us?

CF: Right. That’s a fair point. Either way, they will be chronicling the most significant moments in LeBron’s life and career. That’s what matters.

I don’t think it will be the same level of viewership as “The Last Dance.” Part of it has to do with this being the first time seeing Jordan in this way. The other part is timing. Because of the pandemic, people were craving something like this. They gathered around every Sunday for an escape, some sense of normalcy and routine. I mean, they pushed the doc up because of the demands. I think it’s fair to say we all know LeBron better because of social media, videos, mini docs, podcasts and how open he is about his family/friends. He uses his platform to address racial and cultural issues in a way Jordan didn’t — except his “Republicans buy sneakers too” comment.

As strange as it sounds, LeBron’s not mystical like MJ.

But I feel like a future LeBron doc would be similar to “The Last Dance” in this way: not really shocking but more revelatory. The one thing I think people would realize is just how emotional LeBron is. Some in the organization used to call him “moody.” The scene at the end of Episode 7, where Jordan needed to take a break from talking about how he’s characterized as a teammate, I think we would have more than a few moments like that with LeBron, especially when he gets reflective. Oh, and he tries to create a family environment with teams. That’s much different than Jordan. LeBron loves to be loved. The villain role isn’t for him. Other than that, I’m not sure anything would really shock the viewer.

Truthfully, I think the most fascinating aspect to explore, if LeBron and people close to him are willing, would be his dreadful Finals performance against the Dallas Mavericks in his first year with the Miami Heat. That, to me, was a turning point in his career. People still wonder what the hell happened in that series. Did he quit? Choke? Always used against him when comparing resumes, it’s also one he needed to become the player — and person — he is.

Which brings us to this question, do you think LeBron’s camp — Maverick Carter, himself, SpringHill Entertainment — would be the ones to produce this? Part of me wonders how they would shape the controversial moments in his career. Would they try to rewrite a few narratives?

The new ESPN+ docuseries “More Than An Athlete” explores the unique bond between LeBron James and longtime friends-turned-business partners Maverick Carter, Rich Paul and Randy Mims.

TS: I’m not sure there’s been a superstar athlete whose image has been controlled as well as that of LeBron. And I mean that as a compliment to LeBron, Carter and their team. It’s not just the image, but the control of business. I wouldn’t say they shape the narrative. But they certainly don’t let anyone else mess with it. So yes, LeBron’s team produces a LeBron doc. I suppose it depends on who directs it and how much creative control they get. I imagine an African American director would get the nod. I can’t imagine what a Spike Lee joint would look like by the time a LeBron documentary comes out. But you could give me a Ryan Coogler film (“Black Panther”) any day of the week.

Whomever they choose, the key is in how much control would LeBron and his team allow someone else to have in exploring who LeBron James truly is or was. Honestly, the more freedom a director has, the more interesting to me the documentary will be. Who would be the supporting players in a LeBron documentary? That’s one of the things that’s been so entertaining about “The Last Dance.” Jordan’s former teammates, specifically B.J. Armstrong and Steve Kerr. Dennis Rodman is, well, Dennis Rodman. But then you have Carmen Electra popping up. She was great. Barack Obama! Gary Payton is sitting in some sort of throne chair talking about how he locked down MJ. Larry Bird and Magic talking about a young Jordan schooling their teams.

Who are the supporting guys that would make a LeBron/Cavs documentary engaging?

CF: So if we go back to that 2016 championship team, I think Irving and Love are musts. Who knows, maybe Kyrie wouldn’t be willing to do it, which would be a bummer. Even though he didn’t receive big minutes, James Jones was a key member of that team as a locker room lieutenant. He’s also a brilliant basketball mind with plenty of insight into LeBron from both Miami and Cleveland. I can see him playing a role like Armstrong or Bill Cartwright in interviews.

Gotta have Channing Frye and Richard Jefferson to keep it light and loose. Plus, those two and Love formed the “Triangle” in the locker room. Tristan Thompson and JR Smith have the Klutch Sports ties and would be included, especially given Smith’s critical stretch early in the third quarter of Game 7 that kept the Cavs close while the Warriors were threatening to pull away.

Former general manager David Griffin — the architect of that team. Tyronn Lue, who took over for Blatt midway through the season. And I think multiple appearances from Dan Gilbert would be really important given the history between him and LeBron and the anticipated flashback to The Decision.

If we go back to the earlier days, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Daniel Gibson, Damon Jones, Mike Brown and Danny Ferry.

The non-Cavs guys are harder. But Dwyane Wade comes to mind first. He’s not only LeBron’s best friend, but the two of them spent formative years together in Miami where LeBron learned how to become a champion. San Antonio’s Tim Duncan would be interesting. After LeBron’s first Finals appearance, there was essentially a passing-the-torch moment, where Duncan told him the league would soon be his. Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich because of his many Finals matchups against LeBron. Paul Pierce — the two had some epic duels when LeBron was in Cleveland and Miami. It’s also fair to say Boston was the team that drove LeBron to Miami in 2010.

Any member of the Golden State Warriors dynasty — Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Steve Kerr. I can’t wait to see an old, still-trash-talking Draymond one day reflecting on kicking LeBron in the royal jewels and costing the Warriors a championship. Or Klay have to discuss his decision to let LeBron, of all people, know the NBA is a “man’s league” ahead of Game 5. And then seeing LeBron’s reaction to that footage as he views it.

Would any Raptors be included considering they pushed the Cavs to six games that year? Actually, it would probably be better to get Drake for that given how much he ran his mouth courtside. We have to get DeShawn Stevenson in some kind of cameo, right? That short-lived feud early in LeBron’s career was hilarious. I’m sure there are plenty of others that I’m missing.

But it does highlight something I thought about while watching. Think about the competition Jordan played against. The numerous Hall-of-Famers he battled in the postseason — just to get to The Finals. I mean, he EARNED those titles. It’s not to take anything away from LeBron. He had no control over it. But the conference playoffs were an essential given. When the Cavs won the title in 2016, who was the toughest team? Who was the best individual opponent? Toronto? DeMar DeRozan?

There was no Isiah Thomas. No Larry Bird. No Cavs of the late 80s/early 90s. No Reggie Miller. No Patrick Ewing. The Finals for LeBron were, of course, a different story. A lot of “The Last Dance” footage stemmed from Chicago’s uncertain journey to the top. The competition played a role in how that team/MJ was — and still is — viewed.

The last question I have is this: Which storylines would you as a viewer want/need the doc to explore? I would think the eventual Kyrie breakup has to be one.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James congratulates teammate Kyrie Irving after the Cavaliers defeated the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference semifinals 109-102. May 7, 2017. (Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer) The Plain DealerThe Plain Dealer

TS: Definitely the Kyrie story. There’s also the Love thing that, because of maybe who Love is it didn’t really go anywhere. But there seems to be this thing about playing with LeBron. Some people aren’t built for the attention and being a news story EVERY day. I don’t think LeBron or anyone (maybe save for Kobe Bryant) was like Jordan in terms of going at his teammates in practice. I’m curious if guys will come forward and admit it was hard playing with that level of star. Of course, the main storyline is the behind the scenes stories of that championship season and going down 3 games to 1. So there’s that.

But Chris, I can’t help myself. I need everything I can get on The Decision. Analyzing that will never be overdone. I suppose my next biggest question would be what the heck do you call this thing? The origin of the title “The Last Dance” isn’t something most of us knew about until the Bulls documentary premiered. So what’s your best guess for a LeBron documentary title?

CF: I have no idea Troy! I’ve been thinking about that for weeks. “The Last Dance” title is so perfect in many ways. I can still hear Steve Kerr’s voice in the promos explaining it.

“Return of the King” was the bestselling book by Brian Windhorst and Dave McMenamin. So that’s out, right? I mean, it’s probably too cheesy to title it something like, “Cleveland, this is for you,” the money quote LeBron euphorically shouted during his on-court interview after the Game 7 win. Could it be as simple as “King James” or “Chosen One?”

Instead of pondering this on my own, I anonymously polled some of the people closest to that team for guidance.

Here is a sampling of titles I received:

Chaos and Confetti
The Promise
Uncertain Destiny
The (Right) Decision
Sixteen Piece Puzzle (The Cavs had a puzzle in the shape of the Larry O’Brien Trophy and there was one piece for every playoff win, with Lue putting the final piece in after Game 7)
Chasing Down a Championship
The Chase Down
Don’t Get on the Plane (Ahead of Game 5, LeBron famously told his teammates not to get on the plane to Oakland unless they believed the Cavs could still win the series despite being down 3-1)
The Champions’ Puzzle
Like Never Before
Ending 52
Journey to Belief

I guess it depends on whether it’s a LeBron-specific documentary or one about the Cavs. Do you like any of these? Do you have a favorite? Maybe you have your own.

TS: Well, I think it has to have an insider’s edge to it. So as someone who doesn’t cover basketball, but is rather a fan, I can’t say I have insight into that. But from a creativity standpoint, I like “The Promise” as the best name you listed. However, I think the most intriguing possibility is something involving the puzzle pieces. I like the fact that it has an insider’s backstory that has to be explained a la “The Last Dance.”