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9 years ago Colin Cowherd’s major ‘not impactful’ LeBron James take fell flat, ‘those days are over…’

Originally posted on NBA Analysis Network
By Aikansh Chaudhary | Last updated Aug 3, 2025 4:48 PM ET

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James loves to prove his critics wrong.

Even at 40 years old, LeBron James was one of the best players for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2024-25 NBA season.

But as usual, he faced a plethora of criticism throughout the course of his Year 22 in the NBA. Despite that, James continues to move ahead as he recently opted into his $52.6m player option.

Speaking of James’ critics, they have been going after him for years. For example, NBA analyst Colin Cowherd made a huge statement about James’ decline in 2016, only for it to be proven wrong within a few weeks.

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Colin Cowherd claimed LeBron James was on the decline during the 2016 NBA Finals

Regardless of whether someone is a fan or a critic of James, most admit that leading the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ 3-1 comeback over the 73-9 Golden State Warriors was a historic feat.

But what about the media’s opinion on James when the series was still going on? Well, Cowherd wrote off James and the Cavaliers following their 110-77 defeat in Game 2 of the series.

“He is not as impactful as he used to be. And it’s not like I’m watching the end of an era — LeBron is going to remain in this league,” Cowherd said on The Herd in 2016.

He added: “… You’re not going to get a 45-point night from him. Those days are over. He’s not as impactful as he used to be.

“In the end, we’re seeing the LeBron that is 31, he’s not gonna chase you down and block you from behind.”

For context, James had 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists while shooting 41.2% from the field in Game 2. While these were solid numbers, they were below LBJ’s standards.

However, Cowherd’s criticism played a role in James snapping and putting on a show for the rest of the series.

Deep down, Colin Cowherd knew LeBron James was still great

It took James mere weeks to prove Cowherd wrong, as he had consecutive 40-point-plus performances in Games 5 and 6 of the series.

Additionally, he pulled off his iconic block against Andre Iguodala in the decisive Game 7 of the series vs the Warriors.

While Cowherd tried to say James was on the decline, deep down, he knew about the then-Cavs star’s talent. This was evident from his next statement during a 2016 episode of The Herd.

“I still think he’s the most valuable player in the league. But the game has changed, and although he’s trying to change around it, he’s no longer an A-plus scorer and an A-plus defender and an A-plus, this, that, and everything.

“He is really A-minus to B-plus at everything. He’s no longer Superman — he’s Batman,” Cowherd concluded.

Well, even as ‘Batman,’ James finished the 2016 NBA Finals with 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 8.9 assists per game while taking home the NBA Finals MVP award.

This article first appeared on NBA Analysis Network and was syndicated with permission.

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