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The GOAT debate between LeBron James and Michael Jordan will seemingly go on forever. Until another player takes a legitimate stab at the throne, the Los Angles Lakers' superstar will always be compared to Jordan.
James' agent, Rich Paul, explained to Joe Vardon and Jason Lloyd of The Athletic why James' path to GOAT contention was very different from Jordan's path and impacted by him. The Lakers star had his own obstacles to overcome.
“The road for LeBron was just as hard, if not harder than the road was for Michael,” said Rich Paul, LeBron’s agent and longtime friend. “For a number of reasons. And I think the biggest reason is, everyone wants you to do something the way somebody else did it previously.
“LeBron was a kid. (The media) wanted LeBron to be like Mike; they wanted Michael to speak to them in any capacity, which he probably didn’t. They wanted Michael to be his friend, which he probably wasn’t. They also wanted LeBron to act like, be like Michael, and he wasn’t.
“There were more people that smiled and hoped LeBron failed than there ever was rooting for him to succeed in the beginning.”
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2cAwXlGAL4mGIhLUOXuBmB?si=f3fa94a90db04c7e
Paul is obviously biased towards James in the GOAT debate but his point is correct. Starting when he was a teenager, James was incessantly compared to Jordan and given immense standards to live up to. From his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Cavs (again) and Lakers, Jordan's body of work always looms over him.
Still, James shines on in his own way, giving himself his own case to be considered the best to ever do it. The accolades he has accomplished in Los Angeles add to his argument.
