Rich Paul spells out what Michael Jordan never had to deal with, denies LeBron James orchestrated 2021 trade

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Rich Paul spells out what Michael Jordan never had to deal with, denies LeBron James orchestrated 2021 trade

The never-ending debate of who is the greatest player of all time is back under discussion after comments from David Falk.

The discourse over the best basketball player of all time continues to serve up talking points, amid LeBron James‘ quest to topple Michael Jordan.

Fans and experts, including Charles Barkley, have a lot to say about the respective cases of the two, and now the players’ past and current representatives are at it.

David Falk, the former long-time agent of Jordan, dropped a major take by claiming that the Chicago Bulls great would have won 15 championships if he “cherry-picked” teams and superstars he wanted to play alongside. This was a clear shot aimed at LeBron James and the ‘superteam’ era.

Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

While glorifying Jordan and his competitive spirit, Falk’s comments are an obvious jab towards James’ legacy.

There is no doubt that James earned his spot on being in the GOAT debate, but his success has come while paired with superstars, and this generated major debate for years.

James won four NBA championships in nine Finals appearances. This is fewer than Jordan’s perfect record of six from six, achieved when he dominated the ’90s with the Bulls.

Jordan had Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Toni Kukoc, and Horace Grant as some of his key teammates during his illustrious career. James enjoyed partnerships with the likes of Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Anthony Davis, and, right now, Luka Doncic within the Los Angeles Lakers.

Fans may continue supporting Jordan as the greatest of all time, but LeBron James’ agent Rich Paul finds Falk’s recent comments as illogical, and unnecessary.

He also points out that LeBron James had to put up with a level of scrutiny that Michael Jordan never did.

Speaking to The Rich Eisen Show, Paul said: “Michael never had to leave. Michael’s never been the underdog in any Finals not one time.

“Michael never had a 24-hour, 365-day news cycle. He never had shows built strictly to criticize him. People made millions of dollars criticizing LeBron James, that was their entire job.

“And when you talk about the difficulty of it all, Michael played for Dean Smith, Michael played for Phil Jackson, and Michael had Jerry Krause.

“I’m the biggest Michael Jordan fan ever. I love Michael Jordan, and I don’t think he would’ve used the term ‘cherry-picked,’ so I’m not up here to discredit him.

“I think Michael Jordan transcended our game to a level that we all benefited from. I’m more focused on why it has to be about who’s the GOAT, and why I can’t be at a dinner with those two guys having a great conversation.

“I think those types of comments are also the reason why people who look like me, in my community, always think there can only be one king. And that mindset has been embedded in us as the minority in a lot of places. … So I thought that was very, again, beneath David Falk, with all the success he’s had.”

The notion about James “cherry picking” is connected to claims that he holds a strong influence in dictating the teams and rosters around him.

One of the most infamous claims was his reported involvement in the Lakers’ 2021 blockbuster trade for Russell Westbrook. But the major acquisition of the 2017 MVP turned into a disaster, preventing the franchise from following up their 2020 title success.

“The Westbrook trade, he did not make that trade, contrary to what people put out there,” Paul said. “I know that for a fact.

“If you’re putting it on the player or putting it on the front office, there are so many decisions to be made. And again, we can’t confuse someone asking a player for an opinion with that being the actual decision, that’s two separate things. I deal with both players and front offices, and they are not the same.

“Front offices make decisions and live with the results. That’s why they get paid the money they do to be in that position.”

It’s only natural for everyone to talk and compare players. But at the end of the day, the GOAT debate will remain subjective as Jordan, James, and other legends of the sports had to deal with their own eras, luck, and competition.

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