“You’ll love the stories.”

That’s what I remember my dad telling me when he got us a subscription to Sports Illustrated around Christmas in 2001. I was only 11. The first cover I can remember featured Michael Jordan with his mouth wide open, eyes locked on the rim, and the ball rolling off his fingertips as he hung in midair between two defenders.

The photo was quintessential Jordan … except he was wearing a Wizards jersey. I was too young to have fully appreciated Jordan’s prime years or the six rings he won with the Bulls. But when I was a kid, that didn’t matter. MJ’s run with the Wizards served as an entry point into the history of basketball and a chance to witness his greatness, even if it was fading.

SI barely exists nowadays, but I’ve been thinking about that Jordan-on-the-Wizards cover lately as I watch LeBron James. The NBA’s oldest player has gray hairs scattered throughout his beard, yet he still rumbles down the floor like a freight train and flies above the defense.

Five weeks after Jordan’s SI spread, James made his first cover appearance as a 17-year-old junior at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. He donned a green headband and silver jersey while palming a golden ball above large type that read “THE CHOSEN ONE.” One year later, in 2003, Jordan would retire just as LeBron was drafted first by the Cavs. It’s now been over two decades, and LeBron is in the midst of his 21st pro season. He’s 39, still averaging 25/7/7. He’s the NBA’s all-time leader in points scored, and he’s climbing the ranks in assists. Add 10 Finals appearances, four victories, four MVPs, and his upcoming 20th All-Star appearance, and there’s a reason the GOAT conversation comes down to him and MJ.

But LeBron’s circumstances are different than Jordan’s were at age 39. MJ averaged 21 points per game on career-low shooting numbers across two seasons with the Wizards, who finished fifth in their division both years. There was no expectation of contention. LeBron, meanwhile, remains an All-NBA talent capable of leading his team deep into the playoffs, as he did last year when the Lakers made the West finals.

The question now is whether the Lakers, who are currently tied for ninth in the West at 24-24, can provide LeBron with a last dance and not a sad farewell tour.