Former NBA player Ron Harper continues to try to diminish Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James‘ accomplishments. James recorded the 187th playoff victory of his career on Friday when the Lakers beat the Houston Rockets 112-108 in overtime in Game 3 of their first-round series.
For some context on just how incredible that number is, James now has as many playoff wins as the Chicago Bulls have in their 60 seasons in the NBA. That led to Yahoo Sports putting up a post on X about how the GOAT conversation with Michael Jordan has now gotten more interesting. Harper wasn’t a fan of the post and made quite a bizarre statement as he looked to downplay the feat.
“Lol 20 + years and 15 years lol.”
lol 20 + years and 15 years lol 😂
— Ron Harper (@HARPER04_5) April 25, 2026
It’s unclear what point Harper was trying to make here. It’s possible he just didn’t realize the post said the Bulls have 187 playoff wins and thought that was Jordan’s number. As you’d imagine, his number is much lower. Jordan won 119 playoff games, and James got his 120th win back in 2016 against the Atlanta Hawks when he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Harper could be trying to make the point that the Bulls would have had more playoff wins had Jordan played longer. He played 13 seasons with the team, not 15, and getting to 119 in that time is quite impressive.
Also, for all of James’ victories, he still only has four titles, compared to six for Jordan. The Bulls icon three-peated twice, first from 1991 to 1993 and then from 1996 to 1998. Harper played alongside Jordan during that second three-peat and is clearly a bit biased when it comes to the GOAT debate.
Prior to this, Harper suggested that James’ longevity is overrated. The 41-year-old has rightly been praised for continuing to play at a high level at his age, but the former NBA guard thinks players of his era could have played for 18 to 20 years, too, if they had taken days off.
Harper had also called out James for claiming it is harder to play all 82 games now than in years past. You’d think he’d have a bit more love for a fellow Ohio native, but he doesn’t.
James has ignored much of what has been said, but he has reacted to one taunt. Harper threw some shade at him when he was asked about his sons, Ron Jr. and Dylan, playing in the NBA. He wildly said he was never going to tell his sons what to do.
James fired a shot at Harper for the parenting comment. He praised Dylan, but added that his “daddy ain’t s***.” It would be quite interesting to see what happens if James and Harper cross paths. Maybe if the Lakers somehow face the San Antonio Spurs in these playoffs, we’ll see that happen.
