Philadelphia 76ers superstar LeBron James is about to enter his 24th season in the NBA, and he is still somehow operating at a high level. James joins the 76ers after leading the Los Angeles Lakers to the Western Conference Semifinals in 2026, and The Ringer’s Max Kellerman made a bold claim about his postseason play on his Game Over podcast.
“LeBron James this past year, in the playoffs, so like when he was needed to be at his best, was better than Karl Malone ever was a day in his life in the NBA,” Kellerman said. “This past year… And Karl Malone was way up there. But LeBron is still really [good].”
Max Kellerman on how GREAT LeBron still is:
“LeBron James this past year, in the playoffs, was better than Karl Malone ever was a day in his life in the NBA.” 💯
(via Game Over) pic.twitter.com/hl1c4QN5DN
— Witness King James (@WITNESSKJ) August 3, 2026
Now, James was excellent for the Lakers in the playoffs, but better than Hall of Famer Karl Malone, a two-time MVP, ever was? That seems like a stretch.
James averaged 23.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game for the Lakers in the 2026 playoffs, and shot 45.9% from the field and 32.7% from beyond the arc. The 41-year-old was at his best in the first-round series against the Houston Rockets.
The Lakers were massive underdogs heading into that Rockets series, as both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, their two leading scorers, were out injured. They had been completely written off, but managed to stun the basketball world.
James led the charge as the Lakers eliminated the Rockets in six games. The 22-time All-Star put up 23.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in the series, and played better than the numbers would indicate.
For James to pull that off at his age was remarkable. There aren’t too many players around who can say they led their team to a playoff series victory.
All that said, you can definitely point to times in Malone’s career when he was playing better than James just did. What stands out, of course, are his two Finals runs.
Malone led the Utah Jazz to the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998. In those two runs, he averaged 26.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game.
Malone’s Jazz notably knocked out Shaquille O’Neal’s Lakers and Hakeem Olajuwon’s Rockets from the playoffs in each of those two years. They were up against some stiff competition, but managed to get to the biggest stage anyway.
Had it not been for Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls standing in their way, Malone and the Jazz would have managed to win at least one championship. They pushed the Bulls to six games in the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals, but weren’t able to get over the line.
Kellerman acknowledged Malone was way up there, and he should be given a bit more respect for what he achieved on the court. This isn’t the first time the analyst has brought up the Hall of Famer in this kind of manner, though.
In March, Kellerman called the 41-year-old James a smarter version of Malone. A couple of months earlier in January, his co-host and Klutch Sports Group CEO, Rich Paul, said his client’s floor is Malone. This is certainly a comparison these two like. It would be interesting to know Malone’s thoughts about all this, but he prefers to stay out of the spotlight.
