As per recent statements, LeBron James’ agent Rich Paul claimed the Lakers star has faced more media scrutiny than Michael Jordan did during his career. James is among the newer generation of players to have entered the league during the rise of the internet and social media. Former ‘Undisputed’ analyst Shannon Sharpe, who recently made his second appearance on First Take, fully agreed with Rich Paul’s take in the latest segment of the show.
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Rich Paul’s statements came to light following his recent appearance on Gilbert Arenas’ podcast. Paul made a detailed analysis and compared LBJ and Michael Jordan’s careers in length. In this discussion, Paul also made references to the differences in media coverage, wherein James had to face the higher scrutiny and expectations of mainstream and social media at hand.
Shannon Sharpe agrees with Rich Paul’s take on LeBron James
In a recent appearance on Gil’s Arena podcast, Rich Paul made a hot take claiming LeBron James is the most scrutinized NBA player of all time. While the NBA fans and intellectuals are divided on Paul’s take, three-time Super Bowl champion Shannon Sharpe was in agreement with LeBron’s agent. Adding his two cents to this take, Sharpe justified Rich Paul’s statement and said:
“We are there not getting into who is the better player. But we are talking about the scrutiny LeBron had to go through. There was no social media. And Rich Paul was absolutely right. There was no 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365, in which we had an idea. What the internet has done has turned the common person into a head coach, into a general manager, into a scout,into a professional athlete, all these things so they get to have an opinion. Michael would score 50 points and they would never say Larry would score 65, Magic would score 60.
But if LeBron gets a triple double, they say Jordan would have 76 points. So he is up against the scrutiny of having to go out on a nightly basis. Jordan never had to worry about the camera, paparazzi? Do you know how many relationships, businesses have been ruined with this?”
Indeed, LBJ had to face scathing criticism from the media, owing to him being the ‘Chosen One’ during his NBA draft year. However, contrary to all such criticisms and scrutiny, Bron did prove to the NBA community that he was here to create his own legacy.
While Jordan does have his own achievements unequivocally recognized, LeBron established himself in a new era of basketball, where physicality and prowess dominated the games. And sure enough, James etched his name into the GOAT debate, almost on par with the achievements of Jordan.
Rich Paul pointed out one of the biggest differences between LBJ and MJ
Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James’ names are renowned globally for their stellar career playing in the NBA and internationally. However, for Rich Paul, there is one aspect that separates LBJ from Kobe and MJ. In Gilbert Arenas’ podcast, Paul talked about the inclusive nature of all players and compared James to Kobe and Jordan in that regard.
“We all know the difference between Mike, LeBron and Kobe. Mike and Kobe, they didn’t care if you were their friend or not, matter of fact, they don’t care to be your friend, they don’t want to speak to you, period. LBJ is all-inclusive, right? All inclusive. But, for me, it already breeds disrespect.”
Seems like Rich Paul expects LeBron James to carry the same gravity in his personality as the other greats such as Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. Nevertheless, Paul still remains one of the greatest supporters of LeBron and has backed the 4-time NBA champion on numerous occasions.
