© David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Rich Paul believes LeBron James is better than Michael Jordan
The "Greatest of All Time" argument involving "His Airness" Michael Jordan and LeBron "The King" James has been going on for years. But according to Rich Paul, a close friend and agent of LeBron, James is supposedly better than Jordan. Paul doesn't just claim that his client is superior; he gives what he believes to be a compelling argument for it.
The relentless news cycle
During Jordan's era, there was no such thing as all-day news coverage. Jordan's legacy was built when there were fewer cameras around him. Paul believes that LeBron had to build his legacy under relentless media scrutiny, with every move being dissected and documented, something that Michael did not have to do during his era of play.
"LeBron is the first player to have to deal with a 24/7/365 news cycle of sports and opinions from those that's not even capable or carry the expertise to give a valid opinion," Paul shared.
"In addition to, 'I'm not really gonna do it how y'all want me to do. I'm probably going to decide how I wanna do it.' We all know that don't go over well, right? And so then, you have this environment in this sports society that's created and so now you have to root against. That's a whole other thing Mike never had to deal with because his hardest critic was probably, Peter Vecsey," Paul added.
Different eras
The super agent makes a valid argument about LeBron James and other players in the modern era having to deal with a different level of criticism compared to past generations. Mike never experienced the 24/7/365 news cycle that LeBron faces, and he also didn't have social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram, which allow people from all over the world to give their opinions. While many of them may not be valid, it still weighs on the players and adds an extra factor for them to have to confront.
In addition, Paul said LeBron played his entire career while being compared to Jordan. Jordan, on the other hand, didn't have much pressure because there was no one of his caliber playing the game at the same time. He knew he was the best in that era, and he could live with that.
LeBron, however, has been compared to Jordan since the day he entered the league, and it has been a constant battle for him to prove himself against one of the greatest players ever.
"I just think LeBron's antlers is in platinum and Michael Jordan's may be in gold. Why? Because he had to be compared to Mike. Who did Mike have to be compared to?" Paul said.
