Back in the day, if you were an accomplished athlete, you would have wanted Michael Jordan’s stamp of approval on the World Wide Web. MJ’s social-media imprimatur would have been the next best thing to winning a championship or two. 

It would have meant you had earned your way into an exclusive club. 

It would have meant you had arrived. 

But Jordan was born too soon to lord over the online universe, leaving his successor, LeBron James, to pick and choose the ballers he deems worthy of notarization for the 188 million people who track him on three platforms. LeBron’s combined Instagram, Twitter and Facebook following is far bigger than the population of Russia, and bigger than the population of all but seven countries on the planet. 

And King James has informed his own nation that Joe Burrow is also a king among kings. 

Responding to a recent tweet from an NBA analyst and podcaster who compared the Bengals’ Super Bowl trip to a potential Sacramento Kings trip to the Finals — punctuated by six laughing face emojis — James tweeted, “But not if get a generational talent in the draft! You would have said the same about the Cavs before 2003 right? Joe B is the absolute TRUTH!! We all saw it and knew it.” 

Yes, that was James, a No. 1-overall pick in ’03, likening himself to Burrow, a No. 1-overall pick in ’20. LeBron even tweeted out a photo of the quarterback smoking a victory cigar after Burrow’s LSU Tigers beat Clemson for the national title, complete with a crown emoji. 

Of course that coronation meant a ton to the 25-year-old Burrow, the runaway star of the leadup to Cincinnati’s Super Bowl matchup with the Los Angeles Rams. It’s Joe Cool vs. Hollywood, and in the days and hours preceding Sunday night’s kickoff, Joe Cool was leading by two touchdowns. 

When’s the last time a quarterback with a career regular-season record of 12-13-1 was living life this large? If the all-Ohio love from Akron’s finest, LeBron, wasn’t enough, Burrow’s rocketing stardom was also endorsed by a most distinguished Cleveland-born rapper. 

“The situation that I’m in socially doesn’t really feel real to me,” Burrow said recently. “Because, you know, in my head I’m just the same ol’ guy. One of my idols growing up, Kid Cudi, reached out to me yesterday. You have LeBron tweeting at me … that part is surreal. The football part, not so much.” 

Just look at Burrow in his Cartier shades and sherpa jacket, wearing a conspicuous chain that carries his initials and jersey number, 9. Joe Cool is equal parts Joe Namath and Joe Montana. His high school basketball coach in Athens, Ohio, Jeff Skinner, told The Post his point guard often looked like he was coasting on the court, but that when he needed another gear, “it was like he was shot out of a cannon.” Skinner said Burrow always played quicker, faster and stronger when he competed against quicker, faster and stronger opponents — like those from LeBron’s old school, St. Vincent-St. Mary of Akron. 

If Burrow plays quicker, stronger and faster against the Rams’ Aaron Donald, Von Miller and Jalen Ramsey, he will be the MVP of Super Bowl LVI. 

And that’s an incredible opportunity that Burrow can’t afford to let pass. Though it appears he’s the kind of franchise quarterback who could appear in four, five or six Super Bowls before he’s done, there’s no guarantee he’ll ever make it back. Another NFL star who reached this stage in his second season, Dan Marino, could tell him a little bit about that. Marino lost a Super Bowl to Montana’s 49ers at age 23 then failed to return over the next 15 seasons, finishing his career with an 8-10 postseason record. 

Burrow said of his short-term ambitions: “I’m chasing Aaron Rodgers to try to be the best.” Of course, it makes perfect sense to target a quarterback who just won his fourth league MVP award. And yet in a world where greatness is usually measured by championships won and lost, Rodgers represents a cautionary tale. He beat Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl following the 2010 season, and has failed to return over the next 11 seasons and counting. His postseason record now stands at 11-10. 

Not everyone gets to be Tom Brady, who somehow made it to 10 Super Bowls, winning seven. While he’s listening to Kid Cudi’s “New York City Rage Fest” in the hours before kickoff, Burrow should keep that in mind. 

Not even 15 months after he tore up his knee, Joe Cool is so good and so poised that he could become the first quarterback to win the Heisman, a national college title and a Super Bowl. He might then spend the rest of his career making regular appearances in the big game. 

On the other hand, there are no certainties in pro football, outside of physical pain. So Joe Burrow should do everything possible to make sure his Sunday night story isn’t written up as close, but no cigar.