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Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul has responded to recent criticism of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James made by longtime NBA agent David Falk, who once represented Michael Jordan. Appearing on The Rich Eisen Show, Paul pushed back against Falk’s suggestion that James has “cherry-picked” his teams throughout his career, calling the comments “unfair” and “beneath” Falk.
“David Falk said something the other day about LeBron cherry picking,” Paul said on the podcast. “I’m like, that’s interesting to use the term cherry picking when… the careers of LeBron and Michael Jordan is not apples to apples for a number of reasons.”
Paul went on to highlight Falk’s connections early in his career, noting the influential college coaching figures who supported Falk’s client base.
“The cherry picking terminology of it all, coming from someone who literally had John Thompson, Dean Smith, and Mike Krzyzewski supporting his business, putting superstar athletes in his lap. I think he was part of the cherry clan,” Paul said. “I just thought it was very unfair and a little beneath David Falk for a number of reasons.”
Rich Paul responds as David Falk’s remarks reignite Jordan-LeBron debate over career paths
Falk made his original comments during an interview with Sports Business Journal earlier in the week, where he said:
“I really like LeBron, but I think if Jordan had cherry-picked what teams he wanted to be on and two other superstars, he would’ve won 15 championships.”
Jordan, selected third overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 1984 NBA Draft, played 15 seasons in the NBA — 13 with the Bulls and two with the Washington Wizards. He won all six of his championships in Chicago. The Bulls drafted Scottie Pippen fifth overall in 1987 and added Dennis Rodman through a trade before the 1995–96 season, forming the core of Chicago’s second three-peat.
In contrast, James has played for three different franchises since entering the league as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. He spent two stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers, joined the Miami Heat in 2010, and later signed with the Lakers in 2018. James has played alongside several All-Stars and Hall of Famers throughout his 22-year career, including Dwyane Wade, Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and now Luka Doncic.
James has won four NBA titles, capturing two with Miami (2012, 2013), one with Cleveland (2016), and another with Los Angeles (2020). He remains the only player in league history to win Finals MVP honors with three different franchises and reached eight consecutive NBA Finals from 2011 to 2018.
The exchange between Paul and Falk underscores the continued debate among NBA circles comparing the legacies of James and Jordan —two of the league’s most decorated icons whose careers unfolded under very different team-building eras.
