Richard Jefferson makes startling comparison between Luka Doncic and LeBron James

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic has been destined for greatness since a young age. He left his home at 13 years old to move to Spain to train with Real Madrid, and by 16, he was playing for their senior national team. Three years later, he won EuroLeague and Liga ACB MVP. Before coming to the NBA, Doncic had accomplished more at 19 years old than most players do in an entire career.

LeBron James was also destined for greatness at a young age. He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated before he graduated high school, and he became one of the best players in the NBA almost immediately.

LeBron is officially in the GOAT conversation, and Luka hopes to get there one day. The two have been compared plenty over the years, but James’ former teammate Richard Jefferson gave a spot-on comparison on the Sept. 28 episode of the Road Trippin’ podcast with Channing Frye and Allie Clifton.

Richard Jefferson makes a startling comparison between Luka Doncic and LeBron James

Jefferson was teammates with LeBron for two seasons in Cleveland, including on their 2016 championship squad. He knows him well, and he sees Luka as on the same level. Here is a Jefferson quote from the Sept. 28 episode of the podcast.

"Luka is as special as Bron is. Luka is that type of special. Everyone knows LeBron James is going to down as 1 or 2, depending on what your opinion is of the greatest basketball player. Luka is that special. The way he plays the game, what he’s able to do, the dominance he has had at an early early early age, the game is a joke for him. He’s playing a different game."

Jefferson continued by saying Doncic still needs to prove he can have LeBron’s longevity, but both superstars are literally playing a different game than everyone else. The ESPN analyst even mentioned the exclusivity of the club to seven or eight people in NBA history that have reached that level. Fans can listen to his full comments below.

The Mavericks superstar is on pace to be an all-time great. He currently averages the second-most points per game in the playoffs in NBA history, and Doncic can tie Dirk Nowitzki for the most first-team All-NBA appearances in franchise history if he makes it again this season. Luka could go down as the GOAT. He has four years under his belt, and the 23-year-old superstar is only getting better from here.

What will Luka Doncic do next? Be sure to tune in this season to find out.