- Rich Paul grabs headlines after suggesting LeBron has it harder than Jordan
- Former league veteran explains what makes LeBron’s career unique compared to other NBA legends
- Social media is turning basketball discourse toxic online
As LeBron James‘ trusted friend and agent, nobody was surprised when Rich Paul made the case for his client’s career being more difficult than that of legendary Bulls star Michael Jordan. While it’s impossible to come to a definitive stance on the issue, the NBA superagent might have been on to something when he talked about some of the unique challenges that LeBron has faced during his career.
Speaking on SiriusXM NBA Radio, former player Eddie Johnson agreed with Rich Paul and explained why LeBron’s ongoing battle with the critics is bigger than anything Jordan had to face in his day. “As much criticism as Jordan faced when he played, that was in newspapers. You had to actually get off your butt, go out in front of your house, and pick up the paper.”
Jordan enjoyed a highly successful NBA career as a 6x champion, 5x MVP, and 14x All-Star, but his playing days were over long before the emergence of social media and the modern internet. Compare that to LeBron, who literally grew up as that technology was being developed, and it’s clear to see the difference.
“You didn’t have variety shows on tv, you didn’t have TMZ, you didn’t have none of that,” continued Johnson. “So if you wanted to find out something about Mike, you had to turn on the radio or you had to get up and buy a newspaper. For LeBron, it’s basically wake up, pick up your phone, and you’re right there. Yes, he is definitely living in an era where people are more critical and half the people that are criticizing him don’t know jack s— about basketball.”
“I have no problem with what Rich Paul said, in that regard”.@JumpShot8 tells @DarthAmin why he agrees with Paul’s belief that LeBron deals with more media scrutiny than MJ did. pic.twitter.com/BRJoLrztyZ
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) September 9, 2023
For LeBron, the explosion of the internet hasn’t just resulted in more hate and criticism. It’s also resulted in increased pressure, as everything the guy does (good or bad) is constantly judged by the court of public opinion.
Jordan obviously faced some pressure from the fans as well, but he could shut down the noise in a way that LeBron (and other modern stars) just cannot do today.
Does LeBron Have It Tougher Than MJ?
Comparing players who played in different eras is a tough order, especially when you factor in the impact of modern-day technology. For LeBron and Michael, however, it is a comparison that gets made all too often by the fans. But which player ultimately had a tougher path to success?
For Jordan, fans point to hand-checking and other rules at the time to make the case that the game itself was a lot tougher back in his day. In the ’80s, ’90s, and even up to the early 2000s, aggressive defense was encouraged across the league and teams often used extreme methods to combat Jordan’s brilliance on the court. After years of rule changes and the evolution of the sport itself, we can safely say that LeBron James did not face the kind of defensive intensity that MJ did during the height of his powers.
James, meanwhile, has it worse in other areas. Besides constantly being attacked by trolls and critics on social media, LeBron was judged against MJ from the very beginning and it changed the way people thought of him early on. In truth, LeBron probably faced more pressure than anyone to live up to expectations and he’s one of the few who has actually managed to live up to them.
“LeBron is the first player to have to deal with a 24/7, 365 news cycle of sports and opinions from those that’s not even capable or carry the expertise to give a valid opinion,” said LeBron’s agent Rich Paul.
Social Media Is A Growing Problem For Modern NBA Stars
Of course, LeBron isn’t the only player today who has felt the negative impact of modern times. In fact, basically every star is subject to ridicule nowadays and fans often don’t hold back when speaking their mind.
For top-tier superstars like Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic, and (of course) LeBron James, people always have something negative to say and it can turn ordinary discourse toxic at an alarming pace. Unfortunately for players, social media isn’t going anywhere so it’s something they’ll have to just have to accept if they want to stay the course.
After 20 years of this reality now, LeBron James doesn’t let any of this sway him anymore but we don’t really know if players in the past would have responded in the same way. When it comes to MJ, all we can do is guess how it would have played out.
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