Paul Pierce was LeBron James‘ first career-defining rival, as the pair waged war in the Eastern Conference before either were on contending teams. They faced each other in four playoff series, so Pierce knows LeBron as well as anyone. Amidst LeBron’s recent complaints about never winning DPOY, Pierce made it clear that he never viewed James as a formidable defender.
“I thought that he was a solid defender. He was strong, but he didn’t bother me like some other guys. Like Ron Artest, Defensive Player of the Year. He’d get all the way up on you; he just made life hard. I thought LeBron kinda laid back a little bit more. He used his size, his athleticism, his hands, and it wasn’t at the same level as Artest or Marcus Smart or Tony Allen.”
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James does have all the physical tools to be a sensational defender, but he’s always conserved his energy on that end to maximize his offensive output. Pierce averaged 17.0 points in the playoffs on 39.2% shooting against him in 30 games, so it’s unfair to say James had no impact on Paul’s production.
James has been a solid defender in playoff situations late into his career as well, as indicated during the 2023 playoffs. He’ll never win a DPOY in his career given his age, but some people will continue to believe he never deserved one.
LeBron James Compared Him Never Winning A DPOY To Beyonce Never Winning Album Of The Year
Paul Pierce faced LeBron before his full defensive development was complete, but James was arguably the best defender in the world in 2012-13. Nonetheless, James finished second in voting as Marc Gasol was given the trophy.
Funnily, the same voters that gave the award to Gasol didn’t even vote for Gasol to be First-Team All-Defense, with people believing Gasol was given the award solely to stop LeBron from getting it. He compared his never winning a DPOY to Beyonce never winning a Grammy for Album of the Year.
“I’ve talked about this before, like, it don’t make sense,” James said. “It’s almost like what [Jay Z] just said about [Beyonce], how can she have the most Grammys but never won Album of the Year? So the year I finished second in Defensive Player of the Year award, the guy who won Defensive Player of the Year didn’t even make first-team All-Defense.”
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James was a phenomenal defender in his prime, but it’s never been an asset he is known for. The 2012-13 awards decision will always be contested for the seeming bias against James, though another way of looking at is that Gasol was robbed of First-Team All-Defense. James and Gasol have since been teammates as well, with LeBron openly joking with Gasol about the decision.
Unless James locks in like he never has before defensively, he’ll not sniff the award again. He hasn’t been an All-Defense selection since 2014, with his age decline being directly proportional to his defensive decline.
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