Tom Brady is back in the NFL, showing he can play late into his career just like LeBron James is doing this year. However, Nick Wright believes Brady has been overshadowing LeBron’s incredible season.
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback retired earlier this offseason after 22 long and stellar seasons, defined by him winning seven Super Bowls and setting a number of passing records. However, just 40 days in, Brady has went back on his retirement, announcing his return back to the NFL.
People have already compared Brady to Michael Jordan (with the number of titles they both have), and with the unretirement news, he now has further connections to the NBA GOAT.
However, just for that reason as well, Nick Wright, sports TV personality and co-host of FS1’s First Things First, believes that for that very reason, Brady has been overshadowing how well LeBron James has been playing this current season.
These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands. That time will come. But it’s not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG pic.twitter.com/U0yhRKVKVm
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) March 13, 2022
Nick Wright explains how people have downplayed LeBron James’ season because of Tom Brady
Brady at 43 years old was a champion of the world. He switched teams from the New England Patriots to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after 20 years under Bill Belichick and went and won a Super Bowl in his first year down south.
The miraculous nature of that feat has made Brady the gold standard of all aging athletes. The fact that he could still play at an MVP level for the last two years and win a Super Bowl means that he’s arguably the best athlete of this generation who’s found a way to beat Father Time.
LeBron James is currently challenging him for that title as he puts up an impressive season at 37 years old, but because his Lakers aren’t winning, people aren’t paying as much attention.
LeBron dropped two 50 point games two games apart from each other, becoming the NBA’s oldest player to score that much in a game. He’s also second in the league in scoring with 29.7 points per game, his highest output since the 2009-10 season. On top of that, he’s climbing higher in the rankings for all time stats, and at times, it feels like he’s the best player in the league unquestionably.
However, the Lakers have a losing record and may miss out on the playoffs altogether, and for that reason, Nick Wright believes people are overlooking LeBron in a way they aren’t Tom Brady. He appeared on Colin Cowherd’s podcast and argued this claim.
“I actually think [Cowherd’s] guy Tom Brady, in a weird way, has caused people to appreciate LeBron’s season a little less. Because Brady won a Super Bowl at 43 [and] was a leading candidate for league MVP at age 44. So I think people are like, ‘Yeah, this is the era of old athletes dominating.’ But we’ve never seen anything close to this in the NBA. Nothing close to it previously.”
Wright does make a valid claim that people aren’t giving LeBron his appropriate dues, but the Lakers lack of success means that people simply can’t place him on the level Tom Brady is at. Brady coming back for another season further builds his legacy, but even if he doesn’t win, he’ll retire on top of the mountain. LeBron is still climbing the mountain to reach Michael Jordan, someone who Brady is already being compared to. And that, is where the difference lies.
* @TomBrady‘s last TD pass *
YOU THOUGHT.#TDTuesday pic.twitter.com/omHUTvn1Rw
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) March 15, 2022
