Rich Paul Says LeBron James Doesn't Need To Catch Jordan And Kobe In Championships

Stephen A. Smith claimed it was the most accurate statement Paul had ever made, and it is on point in many ways. Sure, LeBron only has four titles compared to six for Jordan and five for Bryant, but he would not be out of place in the same room as them.

James has accomplished so much in his incredible career. To go with those four titles, he has four Finals MVPs and four MVPs to his name. The 39-year-old is a record 20-time All-Star and is the NBA's all-time leading scorer as well.

Also in his 21st season in the league, James is averaging 24.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Los Angeles Lakers. All of that is ever so impressive, and I would say it has gotten to the point where there are very few players who deserve to be in the same room as LeBron.

Ultimately, however, NBA discourse nowadays has come down to just championships. It's how players get measured, and if James is to be widely regarded as the greatest ever, then he has to surpass or tie Jordan in titles. Even that might not be enough for some, but LeBron would have a strong argument in his favor nonetheless.

Rich Paul Explained Why LeBron James Is The GOAT Over Michael Jordan

Paul has made it clear for some time now that he, for one, doesn't see titles as the be-all and end-all in these debates. Paul stated that if it is all about rings then Bill Russell is the GOAT, as he won 11 titles. The 42-year-old sees things differently, and Paul once broke down why LeBron is the GOAT over Jordan.

"Mike transcended the game," Rich Paul said on the Gils Arena Show. "When Kobe came, Kobe was a silhouette of Mike. That's everything, which is great.

"But 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.

"In addition to, 'I'm not really gonna do it how y'all want me to do. I'm 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 something Mike never had to deal with because his hardest critic was probably, Peter Vecsey.

"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?"

Those are some interesting arguments, but Paul is very much in the minority when it comes to looking at things from this perspective.