FS1’s Colin Cowherd has returned to The Herd after a two-week vacation, and he wasted little time firing off hot takes. Cowherd has had a whole lot to say about LeBron James and Michael Jordan over the years and was at it again on Monday.
“LeBron made a decision, and two days later, they announced the 76ers will play in the most national TV games,” Cowherd said. “That’s with the New York Knicks just being crowned champs, and [Victor Wembanyama] is going to be the face of the league. And 41-year-old LeBron will have more games on TV than anyone else… Fanatics said James sold the most jerseys ever recorded for a player joining a new team across all sports in the first two days, including Shohei [Ohtani] to the Dodgers, who’s an international sensation as well.
“So you can go ahead and keep hating on LeBron, but this is two things to me,” Cowherd stated. “No. 1 is you just forget how big branding is… Brands matter. And this is something that needs to be said. LeBron James is the most influential player in NBA history. Jordan’s the best shoe salesman. LeBron’s the most influential. And here’s why. We’ve never had more vitriol. We’ve never had more platforms.
“Average citizens have never had the ability to have their opinion heard directly to whoever you’re criticizing,” Cowherd continued. “Could be Drake. It could be LeBron. It could be Tom Hanks. It could be a politician. You can directly send stuff to him. And yet LeBron, 24 straight years the discussion leader… Last year, No. 1 social media views. Three billion views last year.
“Crushed [Anthony Edwards], [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander], Wemby, [Nikola] Jokic,” Cowherd added. “Crushed them.”
The NBA had announced back in April that James led the way in social media views for 2025-26 with 2.85 billion. Victor Wembanyama was second at 2.43 billion and Luka Doncic third at 2.11 billion. No one else hit the two-billion mark.
James is 41 years old but remains the NBA’s biggest draw. Cowherd brought up here how NBA commissioner Adam Silver urged him to make his free agency decision so they could build the schedule for 2026-27. James had dragged it on for a very long time, but finally announced on July 24 that he was signing with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Just a couple of days later, Front Office Sports reported the 76ers are expected to receive 34 national TV games, the most allowed under the NBA’s current rights deal. They had just 14 last season.
The 76ers would officially announce James’ signing on July 27, and Fanatics shared two days later that his jersey was the best-seller ever for any player in the first 48 hours after their announcement. Shohei Ohtani previously held the record. There continues to be more interest in James than any other athlete in the NBA and, arguably, in any of the United States’ major professional sports leagues.
Cowherd firmly believes James is the most influential NBA player ever, and the Jordan Brand’s success (it hit $7 billion in revenue in the 2024 fiscal year) isn’t swaying him in any way. The 62-year-old also threw shade at Jordan for his first retirement in 1993.
Cowherd said Jordan was overwhelmed after nine seasons, while James is now about to enter his 24th. He is also doing this in an era where there is a lot more scrutiny, and he applauds him for it. James truly is one of one.
