“NBA and NFL Don’t Have as Much Workload as Football”: When Cristiano Ronaldo Negated LeBron James and Tom Brady’s Longevity with ‘Arrogant’ Remark

LeBron James is the most famous NBA player in the last two decades. Once an unstoppable athletic force, everyone assumed an aging LeBron would find his athleticism waiting. However, now in his 20th season, James is showing no signs of stopping. In fact, he is putting up numbers on par with, if not better than, his younger self.

The only athletes who have performed at such a high level while defying father time in the last few years are LeBron, Tom Brady, and Cristiano Ronaldo. So, naturally, comparisons were unavoidable.

In 2022, while Ronaldo was still playing for Manchester United, was asked to comment on LeBron and Brady managing to play at such a high level even this late in their careers. However, Ronaldo, surprisingly, undermined his counterparts.

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Ronaldo arrogantly undermined LeBron James and Tom Brady’s longevity

In an interview with ESPN in 2022, Ronaldo was discussing how he could perform at such a high level even at such a late stage in his career. At the time of the interview, Ronaldo was one month away from turning 37 and was the top scorer for his club.

The conversation later drifted to other athletes who had shown a similar potential to defy their age. These names obviously included LeBron James and Tom Brady. The NBA and NFL superstars have also defied biology to still be able to showcase their brilliance.

However, Cristiano Ronaldo felt that NFL and NBA weren’t as demanding as football. In his comments he stated:

“I think a very important point is the difference between sports. You mentioned some excellent athletes who have already been active for many years. In my opinion, there is no other sport that has as much workload as football. The NBA, for example, has long rest periods, but I don’t want to expand on that.”

LeBron James tonight:

37 Points
11 Rebounds
4 Assists
2 Blocks
58% FG pic.twitter.com/gDDICeG2RE

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) January 23, 2023

Rolando’s statements do not take into consideration the difference in the sport. Take boxing for example. It is not a sport that runs as long as a football game with breaks after every round but does that make it a sport that requires no stamina or endurance?

Similarly, the difference between basketball and European football is so vast. It’s arrogant to claim that they are not as demanding as European Football.

LeBron has outdone Cristiano Ronaldo

This season, LeBron James has proven himself to be more worthy than Cristiano. Where Ronaldo had the unfortunate exit from United and moved to Saudi Arabia, LeBron James is still performing at an MVP level.

If he can continue this performance, he would likely leave Cristiano’s longevity dibs in the dust.

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