Too many people are ready to dismiss LeBron James and treat him like a geriatric, when that is far from the case. Of all the places to find a rational take on the subject, NBA 2K26 provided one.
The NBA 2K developers have officially released their list of the top 100 players heading into the new yearly release for the gaming company. With the top 10 officially announced on Thursday, James found a spot within it.
LeBron James is the 7th highest rated player in #NBA2K26 at 94 OVR! 👑@KingJames | #NBA2KTop100 pic.twitter.com/FRiLuN6NXK
— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) August 21, 2025
LeBron ranked seventh among his peers with a 94 overall rating. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar shared the same rating as his longtime rival Stephen Curry, as well as younger stars Jayson Tatum and Victor Wembanyama.
With many ready to write James off as an elite player in the NBA, before being offered significant evidence of that being the case, it should be oddly satisfying to the Lakers fans who love gaming that at least NBA 2K has not bought in on the narratives. James is still a game-changing player and should have the opportunity to prove that once more in 2025-26.
LeBron James will prove doubters wrong this season — again
One would be led to believe LeBron was aging akin to someone like Chris Paul with the way some NBA media and fans talk about him at this point. That is said with all due respect to Paul, who is still a serviceable player at 40 years old. James is just so much better than simply playable, though.
The four-time MVP was still posting 24.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 8.2 assists, and 1.0 steal in 34.9 minutes per game for the Lakers in the 2024-25 regular season. That came with shooting splits of 51-38-78, adding up to a true shooting percentage of 60.4.
James secured his usual spot on the All-Star team, and yet another All-NBA selection in 2024-25. While the four-time NBA champion is long removed from his days as the league's best player, dropping him out of the top 10 entirely is just not a sound argument from any legitimate perspective.
James has proven over and over that Father Time may have to ring the bell on this fight against the legendary superstar. Offering Luka Doncic the type of support he needs in 2025-26 should allow LeBron his chance to firmly remind everyone there is still a lot of gas left in his tank.