Who is Tim Hardaway? Is He Right in Saying Luka Doncic is Better Than Even LeBron James at 23?

Luka Doncic has been putting up MVP numbers this season. After 11 games played, he is averaging 33.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.9 assists, while shooting 48.8% from the field.

Doncic has always been compared to LeBron James, ever since he stepped foot into the NBA. But now more than ever, the man seems to be at the unimaginably high level the King was at, at 23.

…or was he?

You see, a certain NBA legend recently spoke on the matter. And his opinion is far from the popular one.

But first, who is this man making these comments?

Also Read: “Cavities, Diabetes!”: Charles Barkley Gets Mocked by Ernie Johnson Over His Halloween Trick-or-Treat Offerings

 

Who is Tim Hardaway?

When fans are talking about the good old days. Many talk about Michael Jordan. Some may mention Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. Dominique Wilkins, ‘The Human Highlight Reel’.

However, there is a player that doesn’t get nearly the recognition he deserves. And his name is Tim Hardaway.

Now, we’re not referring to Tim Hardaway Jr. of the Dallas Mavericks. No, this is Tim Hardaway Sr., the pioneer of the killer crossover, that had every opponent slipping.

He was also a 5-time All-Star and was selected to an All-NBA team on 5 different occasions as well, over his 13 years in the league. And of course, he is a Hall of Famer too.

So, now that you know the legend, how about we finally get into the words he spoke?

Tim Hardaway says Luka Doncic at 23 is above where LeBron James was because he had played professionally for longer

Now, at 23, LeBron James was no joke.

He had taken a lackluster Cleveland Cavaliers squad to the finals and had even won MVP while finishing second in defensive player of the year moments.

But, while that’s pretty darn stellar for 23, apparently it still doesn’t measure up to a certain #77.

“I will take Luka at 23,” he said. “What he’s doing now, his jump shot, but we have to remember, Luka has been playing professional basketball since he was the age of 16. He’s been playing professional basketball. He’s been playing against grown men. LeBron just started playing against grown men at 18. Then he had to figure it out. That took him about three years.

“I will say right now, looking back, 23 and 23, what Luka is doing, yeah, I think that he’s doing it better than what LeBron was doing.”

Admittedly, the logic makes sense.

Luka Doncic has indeed played professional ball for 2 years longer than a 23-year-old LeBron James. And that goes a long way when a player needs to figure the finer parts of his game out.

We have seen this over and over again through the years in the NBA. Even more recently, with the 2020 NBA Draft, Anthony Edwards looked like the one with the higher upside, but LaMelo Ball came in far more polished.

At the end of the day, playing against grown men early on will, at least in most cases, prove to be the right way to go.

So overall, pretty hard to argue with the NBA legend’s words on this one.

Also Read: “It’s Sickening, It’s Something That Gets on my Nerves”: Ayesha Curry Once Hilariously Revealed How Stephen Curry Never Lost Calm