Throughout his 23-year NBA career, LeBron James has always been a first option for the teams he played for. However, Father Time has left him with no choice.
At 41 years old, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar is facing an inevitable reality of taking on a second and even a third option role. That transition is already unfolding this season as Luka Doncic officially embraces his role as the face of the franchise and Austin Reaves unlocks his star potential.
Recently, James admitted that he has no problem taking a back seat for the betterment of the team.
It is a type of sacrifice that has earned the praise of fans and pundits — one that longtime NBA analyst Colin Cowherd believes Michael Jordan would not make.
"To ask a guy that was face of the NBA for 20 years, 'Hey, we not only need you to be off the ball with Luka [Doncic], but Austin Reaves as well.' That's a big ask," Cowherd said. "I don't think Michael Jordan would've done that. I don't think most all-time players are going to do that.
James has played with Dwyane Wade , Chris Bosh , Kyrie Irving , and Anthony Davis , winning a total of four NBA titles. Now, he has Doncic and Reaves, looking to add one more.
Jordan was never surrounded by this amount of star power during his 13-year stint with the Chicago Bulls . Sure, he had Hall of Famers like Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. But when they shared the court with him, it was always clear who the No. 1 option was.
In his last playing years with the Washington Wizards , Jordan averaged 21.2 points on 43.1 shooting from the field, 5.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists. He was the leading scorer in his first year before becoming the second-leading scorer behind Jerry Stackhouse in his final NBA season.
At the time, Jordan was already in his late 30s, but was still putting up great numbers. Given his reputation, Cowherd argued that it was highly unlikely he would take a backseat to his teammates, as James did.
"I do think it's a big ask. I don't think MJ would've done it, I don't think a lot of stars that can still play at LeBron's level individually would do it," he explained.
In their most recent game, Doncic and Reaves combined for 81 points, with the Slovenian destroying the Bulls with 51 points for his first 50-point game as a Laker. Meanwhile, Reaves reached a milestone of his own, becoming the 46th undrafted player to score 5,000 career points.
James is averaging 21.4 points on 50.5 percent shooting, 5.7 rebounds and 7.0 assists, solid numbers for the league's oldest player. However, he expressed his willingness to take a step back if it would benefit the team in the long run, saying that winning is "the only thing that matters."
That's exactly what he did against the Bulls, drawing praise from the two Lakers legends .
Despite being one of his most blunt critics, Cowherd could not help but respect James' winning mentality.
"LeBron's always been a winning player," he said. "I just think he deserves credit for committing to this kind of basketball when you could score 24 a night for half the teams in the league or more."
The Lakers are currently the fourth seed in the Western Conference with a 41-25 record, 0.5 games ahead of the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves .
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Mar 14, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
