LeBron James is still producing at a level that has people reaching for all-time comparisons, and Max Kellerman went all the way with his latest one.
On his Game Over podcast, Kellerman said James’ 2026 playoff run outshined anything Karl Malone ever did on an NBA floor.
“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].”
James, now heading into his 24th season, just finished a strong postseason for the Lakers after leading them to the Western Conference Semifinals in 2026 before joining the 76ers. In that playoff run, the 41-year-old averaged 23.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game while shooting 45.9% from the field and 32.7% from three.
His best stretch came in the first round against the Houston Rockets, when the Lakers were huge underdogs because Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, their two leading scorers, were out injured. The team had been largely dismissed, but James helped flip the script and the Lakers stunned the basketball world by taking the series in six games.
Against Houston, James posted 23.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game. The raw numbers were strong, but they still didn’t fully capture how well he controlled the series.
Still, the Malone comparison invites pushback. Malone had playoff stretches that were every bit as imposing, especially during the Utah Jazz’s runs to the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998. In those two postseason trips, he averaged 26.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game.
Those Jazz teams also took down some serious competition along the way, knocking out Shaquille O’Neal’s Lakers and Hakeem Olajuwon’s Rockets in each of those two years. Utah got all the way to the biggest stage, only to run into Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in back-to-back Finals. The Jazz pushed the Bulls to six games in both 1997 and 1998, but came up short each time.
Kellerman still made sure to note that Malone was “way up there,” and he’s not the first person around James to lean into that comparison. In March, Kellerman called James a smarter version of Malone. Back in January, his co-host and Klutch Sports Group CEO Rich Paul said James’ floor is Malone.
It’s clearly a favorite benchmark in James circles. Malone, though, remains the quiet one in the background, staying out of the spotlight while the comparisons keep rolling in.
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