February 20, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; NBA great Michael Jordan is honored for being selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team during halftime in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

LeBron James' Agent Suggests Michael Jordan Had Easier Path To Greatness

Originally posted on Back in the Day NBA on SI
By Shandel Richardson | Last updated May 23, 2025 10:47 AM ET

LeBron James' agent, Rich Paul, wants NBA fans to imagine if Michael Jordan had to deal with Skip Bayless.

Or if every Jordan move was scrutinized by Facebook, Instagram and X. Jordan and James are most discussed in the greatest player ever discussion, but Paul feels they faced different challenges.

"Michael never had to leave [the Chicago Bulls]," Paul said on the Rich Eisen Show. "Michael's never been the underdog in any Finals. Not one time. Michael never had a 24-hour, 365 news cycle. He never had shows built strictly to criticize him. People made millions of dollars to criticize LeBron James. That was their entire job."

Paul's comments were made in response to assumptions made by Jordan's longtime agent, David Falk. He said Jordan would have won 15 championships if he followed James' way of winning titles. Falk used the term "cherry-pick," which upset Paul.

Falk pointed out James had to team up with other superstars to win, but Paul said Jordan had advantages as well.

"Michael played for Dean Smith," Paul said. "Michael played for Phil Jackson and Michael had Jerry Krause. I'm the biggest Michael Jordan fan ever. I love Michael Jordan and I don't think Michael Jordan would've used the term "cherry-pick."

The fact both agents are now getting involved is proof this debate may perhaps never end. Not any time soon.

This article first appeared on Back in the Day NBA on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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