Analyst Nick Wright has once again come to the defense of LeBron James amid the latest debate on ageing superstars.

Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Kawhi Leonard continue to produce as primary offensive options even in the latter half of their careers. However, Wright still believes James tops the rest, going against a few critics who think otherwise. 

Appearing on The Bill Simmons Podcast, he asked the critics a quick question. “Do we still think all the old guys are better than LeBron?” said Wright. 

He continued, “Because all f****** year I've had to look at this and see, oh, Steph Curry's better than LeBron. That's cool. Kawhi? He's obviously better than LeBron. Kevin Durant? Oh my God, he's clearly better than LeBron. James freaking Harden, better than LeBron.” 

Despite LeBron James’ production at 41, comparisons between him and fellow veteran stars often tilted against him. For instance, recently, legend Kevin Garnett fueled that discussion, stating, “We are in Curry’s era, and he’s the GOAT of this era.”

However, following the series win over the Rockets, Nick Wright pointed to the veterans' postseason performances while LeBron James continued to battle through the playoffs. 

Wright highlighted Curry’s early exit and his appearance at the Met Gala 2026. Then, he said Kevin Durant was “hanging out somewhere, ruining a locker room via Twitter”. He also pointed to James Harden, who went 3 -9 from the field in Game 7 against the Raptors. 

Meanwhile, LeBron James was still showing up for the Lakers.

“LeBron's throwing g****** alley-oops to his son in the same game he hit a series-clinching three,” Wright added before asking, “Can LeBron James be the highest-ranked old guy, please?”

LeBron James continues to defy his age.

While the runner's knee issue sidelined Stephen Curry for the majority of the regular season and Kevin Durant struggled with an ankle injury, LeBron assumed a primary offensive role.

He adapted his role from a 3rd option to carrying the team after Luka Doncic’s injury. At the start of the season, James embraced his new role, taking the backseat while Austin Reaves and Luka worked in tandem.

However, injuries forced LeBron to take up the primary producer role in the postseason. Speaking of that, he earlier said, “I had to tap back into a role that I've been accustomed to in the past, but obviously, it wasn't what it was this year.”

At 41, James averaged 23.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 8.0 assists in the postseason, and now leads the Lakers against the Thunder. Do you think the Lakers can advance to the Conference Finals?

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Written by

Shahul Hameed