Rich Paul Is Correct When He Says Old Heads Will Never Credit LeBron James
We've all heard it before from our elders.
The discussion could range from music to food to sports to movies. It never fails when older person offers this: "Back in my day, things were better."
This is a common occurrence in the sports world when it comes to debates. The older generation refuses to give credit to the new school.
Charles Oakley was too physical for Kevin Durant!!!
Isiah Thomas was quicker than Steph Curry!!!
Scottie Pippen would lock down Giannis Antetokounmpo!!!
That's why I applaud for Rich Paul, LeBron James' agent, for what he said on a recent appearance on the Speak Context podcast.
Paul said older fans will never get past the players they grew up watching. There's no way James can be held in higher regard to that generation than Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and so on.
“There’s a older generation on TV everyday with those slots,” he said. “They’re never going to give LeBron that credit. … LeBron’s been to the Finals half his career, right? So, that’s pretty hard to do, and it’s just a matter of who has the microphone.”
The problem with the old-schoolers, which I'm part of, is they have latched onto memories of players they watched as children. Back then, they viewed the Jordans, Magics and Birds as larger than life figures and heroes. It's much different being a fan at 40 years old than a fifth-grader. Context changes. Today, they are just NBA players. Back then, they were posters on your wall.
There's a difference.
It's a bias LeBron James is never going to win. Nor he should try to. His body of work the past 20 years speaks for itself. Whether you grew up listening to cassette tapes or iTunes, he will go down as one of the greatest to ever play the game.
Don't be that old, back-in-my-day guy. Just appreciate the talent of today's game.
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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.
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