“LeBron James has had to do everything in the shadow of Michael Jordan”: Shannon Sharpe defends Rich Paul, says Bulls legend earned far more credit in losing performances than Lakers star ever has

LeBron James’ legacy right now is just a measure of evaluating how close and NBA player can get to surpassing Michael Jordan an his regin atop the NBA mountain.

Since the day LeBron entered the league, he was labeled as ‘The Chosen One’, set to take over Micahel Jordan with the limitless potential he had. Well, LeBron has definitely embarked on a path that has put him right up there with Jordan, if not above.

However, since this is a sports debate, there will never be any end to it as defendants of both sides will go to any length to support their player. Amidst the Lakers terrible 2021-22 season, people have questioned just how close LeBron actually is to Jordan. In response, LeBron’s agent Rich Paul had a message for everyone doubting him.

Rich Paul on LeBron James’ and Michael Jordan’s paths to greatness

“The road for LeBron was just as hard, if not harder than the road was for Michael.” https://t.co/rbiB5CXogN

— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) February 17, 2022

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Shannon Sharpe says LeBron James has always had Michael Jordan’s shadow hovering over him

LeBron has always had expectations on him. His ‘Chosen One’ moniker was both a blessing and curse. While it meant that he was destined for greatness and that he would do big things in the league, it also means that he’ll forever have the gravity of chasing down the game’s greatest player.

LeBron has more than welcomed the pressure and he’s responded well, but the magnitude of those expectations can definitely take a toll on a person. LeBron also became the villain of the league for a short while when he went to the Miami Heat in 2010, and while he’s shed that title now, people still hold those years of his career against him.

Here’s what Rich Paul had to say:

“The road for LeBron was just as hard, if not harder than the road was for Michael. 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.

“LeBron was a kid. (The media) wanted LeBron to be like Mike; they wanted Michael to speak to them in any capacity, which he probably didn’t. They wanted Michael to be his friend, which he probably wasn’t. They also wanted LeBron to act like, be like Michael, and he wasn’t.

“There were more people that smiled and hoped LeBron failed than there ever was rooting for him to succeed in the beginning.”

Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless debated this on their show ‘Undisputed’, and Sharpe was quick to adopt a pro-LeBron stance.

Rich Paul says LeBron’s path to greatness was “just as hard, if not harder” than MJ’s:

“LeBron has had to do everything in the shadow of Jordan. MJ never had to worry about a comparison. MJ didn’t have people smiling in his face all the while hoping he fails.” — @ShannonSharpe pic.twitter.com/21ESSozKEz

— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) February 18, 2022

Unfortunately for LeBron, Shannon may be partly right. Everything he does or doesn’t do in his NBA career will always be matched up to Michael Jordan, and there’s nothing he can do about it.

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About the author

Ashish Priyadarshi

Ashish Priyadarshi is The SportsRush's content manager and editor. Ashish freelanced for 1 year in the NFL division before taking on an editorial role in the company. He then tacked on managing content while adding on a writing role in the NBA division. Ashish has been closely following the NFL and NBA since the 2012 season when the Patriots lost the Super Bowl and Derrick Rose was at the height of his powers. Since then, Ashish has focused on honing his knowledge for both leagues in, even writing crossover pieces. In his free time, Ashish is an avid basketball player, he loves to watch movies and TV shows, immersing himself in the cinematic world. Ashish studies computer science and data science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and would love to mesh his love for sports with his technical skills.

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