Still on the board. How long LeBron James has lasted, told by every draft since his.

Of the 1,429 players drafted after LeBron James, 67% are out of the NBA: now the 952 orange blocks. The other 33% are still in the league. Of the 952, 147 never played an NBA game. Every one of those careers fits inside LeBron's.

On the board: both rounds. The players drafted after LeBron James who are out of the NBA are lit, and those still in the league are set apart. A meter under the board fills to each share.

Leave out the 147 who never played an NBA game, 143 of them second-rounders, and 805 finished careers remain; a season counts if the player got into a game. A first-rounder's finished career lasted a median of seven seasons. A second-rounder's lasted three.

On the board: the players who never played an NBA game fade, and the rest of those out of the NBA stay lit. Under the blocks, a ruler sets LeBron James's seasons, a long bar, against two short ones: the median finished career of a first-round pick and of a second-round pick.

Taken together, a finished career lasted a median of four seasons. Counting 2026–27, LeBron James's 24 seasons are six median careers. Even a top-five pick's finished career lasted a median of eleven seasons, less than half of LeBron's.

On the board: the same blocks stay lit. On the ruler, the two short bars become one, the median finished career of every pick, and LeBron James's bar is marked off in lengths of it. A third short bar is the median finished career of a top-five pick.

Each block out of the NBA is now shaded by its seasons: strongest at one, grey at the median of four, orange at LeBron James's 24, and empty for the 147 who never played. Twice the median, eight or more: 249 careers. Switch on the players still in the league: through 2025–26, 129 have already played eight or more.

On the board: every player out of the NBA is lit again and shaded by the length of his career, a step for each season, from the shortest through the median to the longest; those who never played are empty. The ruler's bars take the same shades, and a key under the board runs from the shortest careers, through the median, to LeBron James's. A switch adds the players still in the league, shaded the same way by their seasons so far and marked as careers still running.

Now each orange block is a player drafted since 2003 who is still in the league: 478 across both rounds, LeBron James among them. The orange runs thick through the recent drafts and thins as the board climbs. The top four rows, the 2003 to 2006 NBA drafts, hold one lit block between them.

On the board: every player still in the league is lit, both rounds. The lit blocks thin toward the top, and the rows for 2003 to 2006 hold only LeBron James's.

That block is LeBron James's. Of the 478 in the league, he alone was drafted before 2007: LeBron has outlasted the next three whole NBA drafts. Only Bob Cousy, with five, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kevin Willis, with four, outlasted more. Three is the most since Willis, and the most of the two-round era, which began in 1989.

On the board: LeBron James's block, the first in the 2003 row, is ringed. The rows for 2004, 2005 and 2006 below it have no lit block.

Under LeBron James's row, the 2004, 2005 and 2006 NBA drafts hold 179 picks, none still in the league. Each card is a draft's last man to play: Andre Iguodala, ninth in 2004, until 13 March 2023; Chris Paul, fourth in 2005, until 1 December 2025; Kyle Lowry, 24th in 2006, until a playoff game on 30 April 2026.

On the board: the rows for 2004, 2005 and 2006 are marked, and none of their blocks is lit; above them, LeBron James's is. Andre Iguodala's block in the 2004 row, Chris Paul's in the 2005 row and Kyle Lowry's in the 2006 row are ringed, with their cards.

None of the three was ever LeBron James's teammate. Each met him in the playoffs: Iguodala in five of LeBron's ten Finals, Lowry in three straight series, Paul with the Phoenix Suns who beat LeBron's Lakers in 2021. The Philadelphia 76ers drafted Iguodala, and Lowry played his last game for them. LeBron signed with them 19 days after Lowry retired.

On the board: the same rows and the same three ringed blocks; their cards now give each man's playoff meetings with LeBron James.

Four players drafted since 2003 have been inducted into the Hall of Fame on their own. Three went the same night as LeBron James, minutes after him: Carmelo Anthony third, Chris Bosh fourth and Dwyane Wade fifth. Dwight Howard, the first pick of the 2004 NBA draft, is the other.

On the board: the Hall of Famers' blocks are Carmelo Anthony's, Chris Bosh's and Dwyane Wade's in the 2003 row, after LeBron James's, and Dwight Howard's, the first in the 2004 row. Each has his card.

All four were LeBron James's teammates: Bosh and Wade in Miami for four seasons and two titles, and Wade again in Cleveland in 2017–18; Howard and Anthony in Los Angeles, Howard for the 2020 title, Anthony for one season, at 37.

On the board: the same blocks; their cards now give each man's seasons with LeBron James.

Of the 1,855 players who saw four or more Hall of Famers drafted after them during their careers, LeBron James alone played with every one. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played with 9 of 54, Michael Jordan 3 of 41. The Hall makes players wait, which keeps LeBron's count small. So far, LeBron is four for four.

On the board: the same blocks stay lit, with LeBron James's, and each keeps his card.

The King's court looks set to grow. Basketball-Reference's model gives twelve other players drafted since 2003 a Hall of Fame probability of 90% or better. Three were LeBron James's teammates: Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving. Nine never were. If all twelve are inducted, seven Hall of Famers drafted since 2003 will have played with LeBron James.

On the board: the Hall of Famers' blocks stay lit, with LeBron James's, and Russell Westbrook's, Anthony Davis's and Kyrie Irving's are lit and named beside them; the cards are put away. The other players Basketball-Reference rates likeliest for the Hall are set apart; the rest are faded.

Through 2025–26, 132 players drafted since 2003, both rounds, played a game for LeBron James's team; in the first round alone, three of the NBA drafts from 2003 to 2025 gave him none. The second round fills two of them: Skylar Mays, taken 50th in 2020, and Adou Thiero, 36th in 2025.

On the board: both rounds. Every row from 2003 to 2025 has at least one of LeBron James's teammates lit, except 2021; the 2026 row, the 2026 rookies, is set apart. Skylar Mays's block in the 2020 row and Adou Thiero's in the 2025 row are ringed.

The 2026 NBA draft, in the last row, is not yet counted. That leaves 2021, the one draft from 2003 to 2025 that has given LeBron James no teammate. Its 60 picks include five All-Stars, Cade Cunningham among them, and 56 who have played in the league. So far, not one has played a game for LeBron's team.

On the board: the 2021 row is marked, and none of its blocks is lit. The 2026 row stays set apart.

The Los Angeles Lakers' pick in the 2021 NBA draft went in the trade for Russell Westbrook. LeBron James did get a 2021 rookie, one nobody drafted: Austin Reaves, signed by the Lakers on 3 August 2021, played 252 regular-season games beside LeBron. Through 2025–26, 47 of the 2021 picks played against LeBron, 313 games, none beside him.

On the board: the 2021 row stays marked, and none of its blocks is lit; the blocks of the players from it who have played against LeBron James are set apart. The 2026 row is faded.

Of the players drafted after LeBron James, 108 have been named All-Stars: 96 first-round picks and 12 second-rounders, including Nikola Jokić and Draymond Green.

On the board: every All-Star drafted after LeBron James is lit, in both rounds.

Kevin Durant, selected to 16 All-Star Games, has been on LeBron James's team in only five.

On the board: the All-Stars stay lit. Kevin Durant's block in the 2007 row and LeBron James's in the 2003 row are ringed, with their cards.

Not one of the 108 has been named an All-Star in a year LeBron James wasn't: he has been selected 22 times, every year from 2005 to 2026. Of the 108, 23 have been on his NBA team, and 85 never have.

On the board: the All-Stars who have been on LeBron James's NBA team are lit beside his block; the All-Stars who never have are set apart.

Now the board stands up: each block becomes a column, one box for every time its player was named an All-Star, 407 boxes in all. A box is orange when his All-Star team was LeBron James's, whether or not both played. Dwyane Wade has been on LeBron's team the most: 13 times, every time he was named. Then Chris Bosh, 11, and Paul George and Kyrie Irving, 8 each.

On the board: each All-Star's block rises into a column, one box for each time he was named an All-Star. The boxes from years he was on LeBron James's All-Star team are lit, the rest set apart.

The board in three dimensions: a column for each All-Star drafted after LeBron James, standing on his block, one box for each of his All-Star selections, 407 in all. 195 boxes are from years he was on LeBron James's All-Star team, 212 from years he was on another.

LeBron James is one of two players in NBA history to have had two head coaches drafted after him. Luke Walton, the 32nd pick in the 2003 NBA draft, LeBron's own, was his head coach in 2018–19, LeBron's first season with the Lakers; the other player, Tyson Chandler, was on that team. In 2024–25 and 2025–26, LeBron's last two seasons with the Lakers, JJ Redick, the 11th pick in 2006, was his head coach. Redick is six months older than LeBron.

On the board: Luke Walton's block in the 2003 row and JJ Redick's in the 2006 row are lit and ringed, with their cards.

Walton and Redick are both still coaching in the NBA, and they have company. Of the 1,430 players drafted since 2003, 22 are NBA coaches in 2026–27: two head coaches, Redick and Tiago Splitter of the Bulls, and 20 assistants. Five are from LeBron James's own draft, where one pick still plays.

On the board: the blocks of the players drafted since 2003 who are coaching in the NBA in 2026–27 are lit, with LeBron James's. Luke Walton's and JJ Redick's stay lit, Tiago Splitter's in the 2007 row is lit with them, and the assistants' blocks are lit across the rows. The cards are put away.

The orange blocks are LeBron and the 1,240 players drafted since 2003 who are younger than he is. The other 189, in the colour of these words, are older, and all went from 2003 to 2011. The last was Tanguy Ngombo, 57th in 2011, who never played. In the 15 drafts since, no team has taken anyone older than LeBron.

On the board: every player drafted since 2003 who is younger than LeBron is lit, and the older ones, all in the rows for 2003 to 2011, are set apart. LeBron's block, in the 2003 row, is lit too.

In the league now, 477 of the 478 drafted players are younger than LeBron: every one but him. Of the 478, 138 were born after LeBron's draft night, 26 June 2003: nearly three in ten. The rest, LeBron among them, were born before it.

On the board: of the players in the league now, those born after LeBron's draft night are lit, and the rest, LeBron's block among them, are set apart. A meter fills to the share born after.

The 149 picks born after LeBron's draft night all went in the last five drafts. The orange blocks are LeBron and the 138 still in the league. The other 11, in the colour of these words, are already out of the NBA; six never played a game. AJ Griffin played two seasons, then stepped away from basketball in 2024.

On the board: the players born after LeBron's draft night are lit, and those already out of the league are set apart. AJ Griffin's block, in the 2022 row, is ringed, and his card carries his initials. LeBron's block, in the 2003 row, is lit too.

The first of the 149 in draft order was Jalen Duren, the 13th pick in 2022, born 18 November 2003: 145 days after LeBron was drafted. On the board, a LeFun Fact on his block says so.

On the board: only Jalen Duren's block and LeBron's are lit. Duren's, in the 2022 row, is ringed, with his card.

Now the orange blocks are the picks born before LeBron's draft night, since 2022: they thin row by row, from 54 in 2022 to 9 in 2026. Of those nine, only Yaxel Lendeborg and Alex Karaban went in the first round.

On the board: the rows through 2021 are faded, all but LeBron's block. In the rows for 2022 to 2026, the picks born before LeBron's draft night are lit, fewer each year, and each row shows its count.

The youngest of the nine is Otega Oweh, the 41st pick, born five days before LeBron was drafted. Braden Smith, taken three picks earlier, was born 29 days after it. No pick on the board was born closer to the night, on either side.

On the board: in the 2026 row, Otega Oweh's block is lit and Braden Smith's is set apart, both ringed, with their cards.

The dashed row is next June's draft. The oldest name on Tankathon's 2027 big board, Thomas Haugh, was born 11 days after LeBron's draft night. For 2027 to take a player born before it, a team would have to pick a 24-year-old. Most years one does: it happened in 16 of the 24 drafts on the board.

On the board: under the 2026 row, a line marks LeBron's draft night, and the 2027 row is empty and dashed. Beside it, Thomas Haugh's card is dashed too: not printed yet.

LeBron and Bronny were the first father and son to play in the NBA at the same time, as teammates in Los Angeles. Now LeBron is a 76er and Bronny is still a Laker. On Christmas Day the 76ers are due at the Lakers. If both play, it is another first.

On the board: LeBron's block in the 2003 row and Bronny's in the 2024 row are lit and ringed, with their cards.

LeBron James said it on 30 November 2023. Two months later he signed with DraftKings, to post weekly football picks. On 5 September 2026 he walked into “Polymarket HQ” in a video, the first NBA player to sign his own Polymarket deal. The picks are back, tagged “Polymarket Partner.”

On the board: the first round, every block faded but LeBron James's, lit and ringed. Under the words, a row of months runs from his words to each of his two deals.

Polymarket pays LeBron James $15 million a year, Front Office Sports reports; neither side has confirmed it. That is nearly four times his 76ers salary. On Polymarket's international site, Galaxy Research found, nearly seven in ten accounts trading by hand finished below break-even, while automated ones gained about $247 million. Win or lose, Polymarket takes its fee on sports trades.

On the board: LeBron James's block stays lit. Under the words, his reported Polymarket pay is a bar marked off in lengths of his 76ers salary, and a meter splits the accounts trading by hand into those that finished below break-even and those that did not.

Other stars sell betting too. Giannis Antetokounmpo owns a stake in Kalshi, another prediction market. Kevin Durant is a FanDuel ambassador, AFP reports. Asked on 1 October whether he would sign with a betting company, Victor Wembanyama said “Absolutely not,” and “I think it's very sad to see some players promote it.” He named no one.

On the board: the blocks of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant are lit and named beside LeBron James's, and Victor Wembanyama's block is set apart and named.

Polymarket launched Squads with LeBron James's campaign, to bring the group chat onto the platform, Galaxy Research says. Ching is played in that group chat: a league of friends. Its Bets league even has odds and parlays, played for points that, in Ching's words, “cannot be bought, cashed out or exchanged for anything.” No one takes a cut.

On the board: every block is back, none lit or set apart.

An open invitation to Victor Wembanyama, who said he wants to “inspire in a good way”: come and play Ching. Half of Ching's team is a lifelong Spurs fan, born and raised in San Antonio. The Bets league is for points only, with no money in it for anyone, you included. You can say no to this one too.

On the board: Victor Wembanyama's block is set apart and named again, and the other blocks are back.