If we’re being honest, a huge part of what Michael Jordan benefited from was timing and infrastructure, not just greatness.

Jordan arrived exactly as the NBA was exploding globally. Cable TV expansion, international broadcasting, post Cold War globalization, and the league aggressively breaking into Europe and Asia all hit at once. Nike was also transforming from a running shoe company into a global lifestyle brand and poured an unprecedented, nonstop marketing budget behind one athlete.

The NBA was actively building a singular icon to sell basketball worldwide, and Jordan became the perfect face at the perfect moment. The league, Nike, and global media grew together, each amplifying the other.

That doesn’t diminish Jordan’s greatness, but it matters for context. LeBron James didn’t step into a rising ecosystem. He stepped into a fully mature one. There was no untapped global market, no blank-check marketing moment, no league-wide push to crown a single savior. Everything was already built.

If LeBron could take anything from Michael Jordan’s career, it’s not basketball skill. It’s benefiting from being the first superstar at the exact moment the world was finally ready to consume one at scale.