LeBron James and Michael Jordan are and will be compared for many years. These two are considered the greatest players of all time, regardless of the order, Many fans have tried to make a case for each of them, convincing absolutely zero people about changing their minds on the GOAT debate.
Well, that doesn't matter as more people keep trying to bring up similarities and differences between the two legends. Recently, LeBron's agent and long-time friend, Rich Paul, claimed that James had a tougher path in the league than Michael Jordan.
Paul said that The King was expected to emulate Jordan, and act like he was Mike. Instead, he did his own thing, earning some enemies along the way.
“The road for LeBron was just as hard, if not harder than the road was for Michael,” said Rich Paul, LeBron’s agent and longtime friend. “For a number of reasons. And I think the biggest reason is, everyone wants you to do something the way somebody else did it previously.
ESPN's Max Kellerman reacted to these remarks, agreeing with Paul that James had to face bigger obstacles than Jordan, but clarifying that it was because MJ was better than James and was in a better position than the Los Angeles Lakers superstar.
"I do agree with Rich Paul, not for those reasons. Michael went through his own stuff in his day that was similar to that. That style can't win and everything. But the real issue is this. LeBron's path was harder because he wasn't born into an NBA world where eventually his team got him a Phil Jackson level coach and develop a guy like Scottie Pippen. He had to leave Cleveland to find that."
"And, there was no Golden State Warriors-level team for him to overcome - Jordan. There was for LeBron, and he did by the way before they added Durant just made it ridiculous. LeBron had to slay the monster in a way that MJ really didn't have to. But that's because MJ was the monster. Any team that MJ was on, with two other All-Stars, was the equivalent of the Golden State Warriors with KD."
This is another interesting debate to have, and many people will have different things to say. Regardless of their paths, Jordan and James became two of the greatest players of all time, breaking records, collecting silverware, winning championships, dominating rivals, and more.
Jordan and James have left a huge mark on the game and there's no doubt they will always be part of the GOAT conversation. They played in different eras and these comparisons will never have a clear answer. We just have to appreciate them and treasure all the magical things they did during all these years.
More must-reads: