LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 13: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the first quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Crypto.com Arena on February 13, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

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Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is one championship short of Kobe Bryant’s five and two shy of Michael Jordan’s six. But he reportedly isn’t preoccupied with winning one or two or three more in order to match or exceed those legends’ title legacies.

“Anyone who thinks LeBron is sitting there chasing that ghost every night ruminating on, ‘Kobe has got five, Michael’s got six, I’ve got four,'” ESPN’s Zach Lowe said on the Feb. 16 edition of the Lowe Post podcast (h/t Peter Dewey of Lakers Daily).

“That’s not apparently LeBron’s mindset. That’s what I’ve heard privately for a long time.”

Of course, James certainly cares about winning NBA championships. That’s the whole point of being a competitor in the league and reaching the pinnacle of the sport, after all.

But there is a marked difference between chasing titles for those reasons and doing so to increase one’s status in the GOAT conversation. It’s readily apparent James is concerned with the former as he continues to dominate the NBA in his 21st season.

The Lakers will have to traverse a brutal Western Conference just to reach the NBA Finals this season.

They sit at 30-26, ninth in the West and 9.5 games back of the first-place Minnesota Timberwolves. But having a healthy James and Anthony Davis lead the way will certainly help the Lakers’ title hopes as they hope for the 18th NBA title in team history.