Slam Recreated Classic LeBron Cover With Ben Simmons, Who Looks Way Less Imposing

Ben Simmons had a good statistical season on a Bad LSU team this past year. He’s still atop many mock drafts for the no. 1 overall pick, but Brandon Ingram from Duke is also starting to get some chatter.

In any event, if you look at Simmons and LeBron side by side in these Slam cover photos, the difference is profound. LeBron already looked like a truck, Simmons has some filling in to do. On the former, the look of intensity was palpable. On the latter, not so much.

Part of this is probably confirmation bias – we know how LeBron turned out. Simmons’ projects as a very good professional player. However, his career output is ultimately unknowable at this time, and will be based on myriad factors ranging from his own work ethic to coaching, teammates, and a competent front office.

That being said, if the Men in Black erased your memory and you had to pick one of those two based just on these photos, LeBron is the runaway favorite.