Richard Jefferson draws comparison between himself and two players on the opposite spectrums in the NBA totem pole: Michael Jordan and Kendrick Perkins.
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It’s a shame that NBA fans today think of Richard Jefferson as the guy who had that one dunk on Klay Thompson in 2016 during the Cavaliers-Warriors Christmas game. That was merely a flash of what he used to do on the regular for the New Jersey Nets during a prime that lasted for nearly the entirety of the 2000s.
Jefferson was quite the high-flyer back in the day as he was also someone who could use the threat of him shooting the 3-ball to space the floor for his team. Drafted by the Nets, Richard Jefferson was plunged straight onto a team that was competing for a championship.
Playing alongside guys like Jason Kidd, Dikembe Mutombo, and Alonzo Mourning, RJ and New Jersey made the NBA Finals two years in a row, losing both in 2002 to the Lakers and 2003 to the Spurs.
Jefferson’s best years came in 2004-05 and 2007-08 where he averaged 22+ points for Nets teams that were dealing with injuries and a lack of help due to poor front office decisions in the mid-2000s.
Richard Jefferson ranks himself during his prime.
Richard Jefferson is someone who’s personality is perfect for this new age of NBA media and has been playing up a great rivalry with Kendrick Perkins on various NBA related debate segments.
During an interview with GQ Sports, Jefferson is asked by the internet how he would rank himself in his prime, to which he said:
“I was never a Hall-of-Famer, I was never even an All-Star. I’m not even that good. But I was slightly above average in my prime. I was a lot better than most. It depends on who you ask. You compare me to Michael Jordan and I was trash, you compare me to Kendrick Perkins and I was a f**king superstar.”[around the 4:25 mark]
Given that Perk only had one year where he averaged double digits in points per game over a 16 year career, it’s safe to say that Richard Jefferson may not be wrong here.
