James only needs two championships to match Michael Jordan, but he'd need a third ring to equal the NFL's GOAT.
LeBron James marveled at Tom Brady's dominance on Monday.
"I've been watching him for quite a while now, and just to see him go out and do the things that he's done in his career, for him to win another one yesterday in the fashion that he won, it was pretty cool," James said after a win over the Thunder. "It was very inspiring for a guy like myself."
There are plenty of parallels between Tom Brady and LeBron James. Both are the best athletes of their generation in their respective sports, and perhaps more importantly, both superstars have completely defied the aging curve.
James continues to play at an MVP level in his 18th NBA season by averaging 25.6 points per game in 2020–21. If he wins the award, he would become the oldest MVP in league history.
Brady notched ring No. 7 on Sunday by shredding the Chiefs in a blowout Super Bowl LV victory. Brady has previously noted he would like to play until 45 and he could play past that benchmark.
Will James follow a similar path? The proposition is unlikely.
"I don't know how long I'm going to play the game. I don't know how much more I'll be able to give to the game. The way I feel right now, we'll see what happens," James said. "But I have no timetable on it. I have no year of, 'OK, do I want to play until 30-this or 40-that?' The game will let me know when it's time, and we'll figure it out then."
James is currently three championships behind Brady, though he could close the gap this season. The Lakers currently sit No. 2 in the Western Conference at 19–6 and kicked off February with a four-game winning streak.