“‘The Kobe/MJ Fanboys Were WRONG’: Colin Cowherd Shocks NBA World by Calling LeBron James the All-Around GOAT After Historic Unselfish Move That Broke a 20-Year Streak
There are moments in sports that don’t require a buzzer-beater, a 50-point explosion, or a viral scuffle to shake the basketball world. Sometimes, all it takes is one pass and one voice with a national platform willing to say what others won’t. This week, Colin Cowherd lit the NBA universe on fire with a take that has already triggered Kobe fans, MJ loyalists, and half the internet: LeBron James is the greatest all-around basketball player of all time, and the moment that proved it was… a game-winning assist.
Not a dunk.
Not a chase-down block.
Not a deep three.
A pass.
“THE ALL-AROUND GOAT?” HOW COLIN COWHERD’S LEBRON JAMES TAKE JUST REIGNITED THE BIGGEST DEBATE IN BASKETBALL HISTORY
A pass that ended LeBron’s nearly 20-year streak of scoring double-digits in every game a streak that dated back before the launch of the iPhone, before Twitter existed, and before half the league’s current stars even touched a high-school court. But more importantly, it was a pass that prioritized the Lakers winning over LeBron’s own personal legacy streak.
And that, according to Cowherd, is why LeBron stands alone.
But to truly understand why this moment and Cowherd’s passionate defense of it matters so deeply, we have to unpack everything around it. The misconception. The narratives. The comparisons. The expectations. The backlash. The psychology. The history. The pressure. The reality. The legacy.
This is not just a debate about basketball.
This is a debate about identity, myth, nostalgia, evolution, and leadership.
This is the story of how one assist reignited a 20-year argument… and why Cowherd believes that what LeBron didn’t do take the shot is exactly what proves his greatness.
THE MOMENT: HOW ONE PASS ENDED A 1,297-GAME STREAK BUT STARTED A NEW CONVERSATION
When LeBron James stepped onto the court against the Toronto Raptors, nobody expected history to be rewritten. And nobody not even LeBron himself imagined that this would be the night he finally scored fewer than 10 points for the first time since he was a teenager playing for Cleveland.
He wasn’t feeling his shot.
He was 4-for-17.
He didn’t have his usual burst.
But when the game tightened in the final seconds, something instinctual took over. The basketball purist in him the version that sees every angle, every rotation, every opening noticed Rui Hachimura flash to a better scoring position. Most players in LeBron’s position would think about the critics. Think about the streak. Think about the legacy. Think about the “real stars never pass in the clutch” narrative that has haunted him since 2007.
But LeBron?
He saw the right play.
And he made it.
Without hesitation.
Without ego.
Without fear.
The pass went straight to Rui.
Rui hit the shot.
The Lakers won.
And in the box score:
LeBron James 9 points.
A streak that lasted longer than the entire careers of hundreds of NBA players was gone. But LeBron didn’t blink. And that according to Colin Cowherd is the exact reason why he’s the all-around GOAT.
Cowherd has been defending LeBron since the early 2000s, but this moment gave him exactly the ammunition he always wanted: evidence that LeBron’s basketball IQ and selflessness outweigh the narratives created by MJ-Kobe loyalists who value hero-ball over decision-making.
And so, within hours, Cowherd went on air, leaned forward, and said it clearly:
“LeBron James is the greatest all-around player I’ve ever seen.”
But why did this moment hit so hard?
Why did it shake the internet?
Why did it bother so many fans?
Because it exposed something deeper.
Something uncomfortable.
Something that old-school NBA purists don’t want to admit.
That sometimes, the right play is more valuable than the heroic shot.
WHY COWHERD’S TAKE TRIGGERED THE MJ & KOBE FANBASES MORE THAN ANYTHING IN YEARS
Cowherd didn’t whisper.
He didn’t hedge.
He didn’t soften the blow.
He said what a lot of basketball thinkers have believed for years but were afraid to say out loud:
Kobe and Jordan weren’t always making the right basketball play.
LeBron does.
And that matters more than people want to admit.
For decades, the NBA’s cultural mythology has glorified isolation heroes the “give me the ball and get out of the way” mentality. Jordan built his image on it. Kobe modeled his entire career around it. And fans fell in love with the narrative that the “real alpha” takes the last shot even if it’s contested, inefficient, or mathematically unwise.
LeBron has always played differently.
Not passively.
Not selfishly.
But intelligently.
His decision-making is the foundation of his greatness.
He reads defenses like NFL quarterbacks.
He processes the floor in real time.
He hunts high-value play sequences instead of high-drama moments.
But here’s the problem:
That type of greatness isn’t as glamorous.
It isn’t as romantic.
It isn’t as emotionally packaged.
Highlight culture loves killers.
It doesn’t always love thinkers.
And so, for years, LeBron was called soft.
Passive.
Scared of the moment.
Not clutch.
Not alpha enough.
Even when the data every single year proved those labels wrong.
But this moment, this one assist, forced the world to confront a truth that Cowherd screamed from the rooftops:
LeBron didn’t lose his streak.
He chose to sacrifice it.
And that makes him the most complete player we’ve ever seen.
No ego.
No insecurity.
No need to protect his brand.
Just the right play.
3. HOW LEBRON’S SELFLESSNESS REWRITES HIS LEGACY AND WHY COWHERD CALLS IT “MAGIC JOHNSON WITH A CENTER’S BODY”
One of Cowherd’s most passionate points was simple:
“LeBron was always more Magic than Michael.”
And he’s right.
From the day he entered the league, LeBron played basketball as if the court was a chessboard. He didn’t come in looking to score 40 a night. He came in looking to make the right decision every night. Magic Johnson popularized this approach in the ’80s the idea of controlling the pace, empowering teammates, and manipulating defenses without needing to dominate every possession as a scorer.
But here’s the difference:
Magic was 6’9”, 215 pounds.
LeBron is 6’9”, 260 pounds with the athletic profile of a linebacker.
Magic was a master passer.
LeBron is a master passer and a top-10 scorer of all time.
Magic was an extension of the coach.
LeBron is the coach, the general, the quarterback, and the engine.
So when Cowherd calls LeBron the greatest all-around player ever, he isn’t just talking about the ability to pass. He’s talking about the ability to impact every macro and micro area of a basketball game simultaneously scoring, reading, reacting, pacing, defending, orchestrating, adjusting.
LeBron has won games with his scoring.
He has won games with his passing.
He has won games with his rebounding.
He has won games with his defensive reads.
He has won games with his leadership.
Cowherd’s point is that LeBron is the most complete Swiss-army-knife superstar basketball has ever seen someone who doesn’t need a specific system to shine, doesn’t need a single scoring role, and doesn’t need the ball in his hands to control the outcome.
THE IRONY: LEBRON’S “NON ALPHA” MODE IS WHAT MAKES HIM MORE DANGEROUS THAN KOBE OR JORDAN EVER WERE
People forget something:
Jordan did not trust his teammates early in his career.
Kobe struggled for years to balance trust and dominance.
LeBron?
He trusted passing lanes in high school.
And Cowherd brilliantly highlighted this:
“Everybody plays better with LeBron.”
That is not exaggeration it is historical fact.
Teammates break career records next to LeBron.
Role players get paid after playing with LeBron.
Shooters thrive because he finds them.
Big men thrive because he feeds them.
Young players thrive because he teaches them.
Teams thrive because he molds them.
This isn’t new.
This is the story of his entire career.
From Mo Williams
To Kyrie
To AD
To Wade
To Bosh
To Mike Miller
To Jeff Green
To Rui
To Caruso
To Korver
To Lonnie Walker
Every role player next to LeBron experiences a boost in offensive efficiency, on-court confidence, and clutch involvement.
But why?
Because LeBron doesn’t just demand scoring.
He demands engagement.
He demands reads.
He demands movement.
He demands trust.
This is why Cowherd says LeBron is the all-around GOAT because he elevates others, not just himself.
HOW THIS MOMENT IMPACTS THE LAKERS AND WHY COWHERD SAYS IT SET THE TONE FOR A NEW ERA OF TEAM BASKETBALL
Cowherd ended his segment with a point that Lakers fans should pay attention to:
LeBron’s choice created a ripple effect across the locker room.
In choosing to end his streak voluntarily LeBron sent a loud, powerful message to his team:
Winning is more important than ego.
That message resonates deeply on a roster built around role players, young contributors, and emerging talents like Rui. When the greatest player of his generation says, through action, not words, that the team comes first, it changes everything.
It changes confidence.
It changes chemistry.
It changes the tone of practices.
It changes rotations.
It changes effort.
It changes expectations.
Cowherd believes and many analysts agree that this kind of unselfishness is the exact culture ingredient the Lakers need as they navigate a tough road schedule, especially while Luka Doncic remains away due to personal reasons.
CONCLUSION THE DEBATE WILL NEVER END… BUT THIS MOMENT MAY HAVE SHIFTED IT FOREVER
Michael Jordan will always be the icon.
Kobe Bryant will always be the killer.
But LeBron James?
Colin Cowherd believes he is something different.
Something bigger.
Something more complete.
The greatest all-around basketball player ever.
Not because he scores the most.
Not because he has the most rings.
Not because he is the most dramatic.
But because even after 20 years,
after billions of dollars,
after endless scrutiny,
after carrying franchises,
after winning with multiple rosters,
after becoming a global brand…
LeBron James still plays the game the same way he did as a teenager.
He makes the right play.
Even if it costs him a streak.
Even if it costs him a narrative.
Even if it costs him glory.
And that as Cowherd said is why he’s the GOAT in ways the world is only now beginning to understand.