- Rich Paul maintains that LeBron James is the greatest player of all time over Michael Jordan
- Rich Paul said LeBron James had to be compared to Michael Jordan, something Michael Jordan didn’t have to
- Rich Paul says LeBron James’ GOAT antlers are platinum and Michael Jordan’s are golden
Rich Paul and LeBron James go way back, and the Klutch Sports CEO has built his sports empire in large part thanks to his association with LeBron.
It’s natural then, that Rich Paul would think that LeBron James is the GOAT over Michael Jordan and it’s a sentiment he has shared in the past. In a recent podcast appearance, he explained his logic for this.
“Mike transcended the game,” Rich Paul said on the Gils Arena Show. “When Kobe came, Kobe was a silhouette of Mike. That’s everything, which is great.
“But 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.
“In addition to, ‘I’m not really gonna do it how y’all want me to do. I’m going to decide how I wanna do it.’ We all know that don’t go over well, right?
“And so then, you have this environment in this sports society that’s created and so now you have to root against. That’s something Mike never had to deal with because his hardest critic was probably, Peter Vecsey.
“I just think LeBron’s antlers is in platinum and Michael Jordan’s may be in gold. Why? Because he had to be compared to Mike. Who did Mike have to be compared to?”
Rich Paul: "I just think LeBron's antlers is in platinum and Michael Jordan's may be in gold. Why? Because he had to be compared to Mike. Who did Mike have to be compared to?"
(Via @GilsArenaShow) pic.twitter.com/fTMb09NJKs
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) September 4, 2023
LeBron James had GOAT expectations placed on him from the time he was still in high school, and every move he made was scrutinized. The advent of social media came along in his career too, meaning Rich Paul has somewhat of a point.
Michael Jordan Had To Deal With Plenty Of Criticism
While Michael Jordan didn’t have to deal with social media, he received his fair share of criticism. Not only was he criticized early for being a statistical player and not a winner, but he was also the first NBA player to face mass scrutiny on a global level.
In the prime of his life, Michael Jordan couldn’t be anywhere or go anywhere without the pressure of being perfect. Even when he suffered the tragedy of his father’s passing, Michael Jordan’s gambling interests were brought into question.
Michael Jordan also had to deal with stars from previous generations talking him down. Wilt Chamberlain said Michael Jordan would have been crushed in the 1960s, which is a great example of this.
Rich Paul Has Inherent Bias In The GOAT Debate
While Rich Paul does make some valid points, he is inherently biased when it comes to the GOAT debate. He is a stellar agent and an incredible entrepreneur but his connection to LeBron James allowed him to build all he had.
LeBron James and Rich Paul started their friendship when the latter was selling throwback jerseys at the airport. Rich Paul is now one of the most powerful people in basketball, so it’s no wonder that he will always talk up LeBron James.
Ultimately, there is no real percentage in terms of the modern GOAT debate. Anyone who values longevity will make the argument for LeBron James, but on nearly every other metric, Michael Jordan comes out ahead.
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