**BREAKING: HISTORIC 2K26 RATINGS DROP – Luka Doncic Crowned 95 OVR Supreme, LeBron James’ 94 Makes Him SECOND BANANA FOR FIRST TIME IN 22 YEARS ON MAVS SUPERTEAM**
DALLAS – Hold onto your Mavericks hats, NBA fans. In a reveal that has shattered timelines, upended legacies, and sparked a thousand “LeGM cooked?” memes across X, NBA 2K26 ratings officially dropped at 10:17 a.m. CT on Thursday, crowning Luka Doncic the video game king at 95 overall – one pixelated point ahead of LeBron James’ 94.
For the first time in his unparalleled 22-season career – spanning Cleveland cavalcades, Miami heats, Laker parades, and now Dallas dynamite – King James enters a regular season with a teammate rated higher than him. Not since his rookie year in 2003 has LeBron been anything but the alpha dog in the ratings pantheon. Jokic sits at 97. Giannis 96. But Luka? The 26-year-old Slovenian savant leapfrogged them all into the stratosphere, validating the summer’s most seismic trade: LeBron to Dallas.
**2K Visual Concepts GM Zach Tiel confirmed exclusively to ESPN moments after the drop:**
“Luka’s takeover is real. 95 across the board – 99 three-level scoring, 98 playmaking, 96 finishing. LeBron’s 94 is still GOAT-tier: 97 driving dunk, 95 post control, 94 defense. But Luka’s the engine now. This Mavs duo? Unprecedented.”
The ratings tsunami hit just 11 games into the 2025-26 season, with Dallas at 9-2 and the hottest team in the West. LeBron, fresh off a July 14 megatrade from the Lakers (LAL received Kyrie Irving, two first-round picks, and Daniel Gafford), has averaged 27.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 7.1 assists alongside Luka’s league-leading 33.2 / 9.8 / 10.4 line. Their two-man game? It’s poetry in motion – Luka’s wizardry feeding LeBron’s freight-train drives.
But the 95-94 dagger? It’s personal. LeBron’s Lakers tenure ended with a 94 in 2K25, tied for fourth. Now, at 41 years young, he’s explicitly second fiddle in Dallas’ blue-blood blueprint.
**LeBron’s locker-room reaction, mic’d up post-Morning Shootaround:**
“Luka’s the best player alive right now. 95? Deserved. I’m 94? I’ll take it – means I got room to grow. We built this to chase 5 for me, 2 for him. Ratings don’t win rings.”
Luka, smirking from his stall with a fresh “95” towel draped over his shoulders:
“Love Bron. He’s the reason I’m here longer. But yeah, 95 feels good. Time to show the league why.”
Rewind to the trade: On July 14, after Lakers’ brass balked at LeBron’s fourth-year player option (citing cap hell and Bronny’s bench role), a three-team sign-and-trade materialized. LeBron to Dallas on a 2-year, $110M deal with a no-trade clause. Lakers flipped Irving for salary filler and picks. Nets ate expiring wood. Mavs GM Nico Harrison called it “the passing of the torch.”
Skeptics howled: “LeBron’s washed!” “Luka needs a real co-star!” Fast-forward 11 games: Dallas’ +18.7 net rating with the duo on the floor obliterates Golden State’s Death Lineup records. Klay Thompson (88 OVR) and PJ Washington (82) round out a squad that embarrasses opponents nightly.
Rival reactions poured in like champagne at a ring ceremony.
**Warriors coach Steve Kerr, pregame:**
“95 Luka and 94 LeBron? That’s video game cheating. We’re prepping for heliocopter spins and wrong-footed threes. God help us January 15.”
**Celtics’ Jayson Tatum (93 OVR), on his podcast:**
“Respect to Luka passing me. But LeBron at 94 guarding me? Nah. I’m cooking… said no one ever.”
**Knicks GM Leon Rose:**
“We offered more for LeBron. Mavs overpaid. Now look – they’re 9-2 and the 2K darlings.”
The ripple effects? Monumental. NBA 2K26 pre-orders spiked 47% in the first hour post-reveal. Luka jerseys outsold LeBron’s 3-to-1 in Dallas Dick’s Sporting Goods. X exploded: #Luka95 trended worldwide with 2.7M posts; LeBron’s “Second Banana” edits went viral.
Inside Cameron Indoor – wait, American Airlines Center – the vibe is dynastic. Dereck Lively II (84 OVR) blocks everything. Quentin Grimes (85) locks wings. Coach Jason Kidd, who handed Luka the keys in 2021, now orchestrates the league’s best offense (122.4 points per 100 possessions).
**Kidd to reporters:**
“Two alphas, one vision. Luka’s 95 validates the progression. LeBron’s 94? He’s playing like 99. This is Banner 13 territory.”
LeBron’s motivation? Crystal. “I came here to win with the next face of the league,” he posted on IG at 10:45 a.m., photo of him and Luka fist-bumping over a 2K screengrab. “95-94. Let’s make it 5-4 in rings by June.”
Critics linger. “LeBron’s ego can’t handle second,” one Eastern Conference exec whispered. Bill Simmons tweeted: “Peak LeGM: Traded himself to chase Luka’s shadow. Genius or desperation?”
Numbers silence them. Dallas’ 11-game stretch: +14.2 per 100 with Luka-LeBron minutes. Luka’s usage? Down to 34% from 38% last year – efficiency up to 64.2 TS%. LeBron’s? 62.1, best since Miami II.
Tonight’s matchup? Lakers in Dallas. Bronny James (68 OVR) starts for LAL. LeBron vs. his former squad, 95-94 badge gleaming.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, texting league sources: “This elevates everything. Mavs are must-watch TV.”
For LeBron, 41 and fearless, it’s not decline – it’s evolution. First time lower-rated? Sure. First time this loaded? Never.
Luka Doncic, 95 OVR demigod, just got the ultimate co-sign. The league quakes.
Ring alarms: Dallas. Repeat? Dynasty.
(Word count: 1002)
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