Even the best in NBA history need the right people beside them when the lights shine the brightest. For Michael Jordan, that man was Scottie Pippen. Together, they dominated the NBA in the ’90s, winning six rings. But Rich Paul’s recent take — that Jordan would have been 0-6 in the Finals without Pippen — has sparked larger conversations regarding this belief, and the same logic is now being applied to his client, LeBron James.

A lot of the time, the aides James has had in his Finals runs get overlooked because of how good the King himself was. Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis — this is an elite list to say the least. So, in a message to Rich Paul, Tim MacMahon decided to let him know that without James’ teammates, too, he would have had fewer (probably zero) championships.

“Look, if you unplug Dwyane Wade from the Miami Heat, LeBron doesn’t win titles there. If you unplug Kyrie Irving from the Cavaliers, they don’t come back from 3-1,” the veteran insider said on Get Up. “If you unplug Anthony Davis from the Bubble Lakers, they don’t win a championship.”

Mic drop, Rich Paul.

He even shed light on situations not involving LeBron James. Today, the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder are great because Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the best players in the league, averaging over 30 points per game in each of the last two seasons. He’s a two-time MVP. But take Jalen Williams away from the Thunder, and are they still the same force?

Turns out they’re not. Because SGA failed to successfully defend OKC’s quest for a title defense without a healthy Williams by his side. J-Dub strained his left hamstring in Game 2 against the San Antonio Spurs. Following his injury, he missed Games 3, 4, and 5, then tried to come back in Game 6 but left the floor after 10 minutes. The Thunder ultimately lost to Victor Wembanyama and Co. in 7 games.

“I sure as hell hope nobody’s looking funny at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for coming up one game short of knocking off the Spurs for seven games. It’s really hard to win a championship when you don’t have your co-star,” the ESPN analyst added.

Back to LeBron, and a small trip down memory lane to his 2018 post-season run, when he performed like a man possessed. He averaged 34 points a game. The ultimate result was a 4-0 sweep at the hands of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Co. at the Warriors.

Now, in the titles that LeBron did win, he was far from a one-man army. Take Kyrie Irving in 2016. The Cavaliers guard averaged 27.1 points per game in the Finals and delivered arguably the biggest shot in franchise history, drilling the go-ahead three over Curry with less than a minute left in Game 7. Without that second superstar beside him, Cleveland’s historic comeback from 3-1 down likely never happens.

The same applied to Wade in Miami. Once again, James was the superstar. But without Wade, the Miami Heat would never have been a superteam. He averaged 22.6 points in the 2012 Finals and nearly 20 points the following year.

The story was no different when James won his fourth title in the Bubble. Anthony Davis was a huge part of that run, averaging 27.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game in the playoffs on 57.1% shooting. He then put up 25.0 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game in the Finals, showing just how important he was to the Lakers’ championship.

Paul’s analysis of Pippen’s contribution to the Chicago Bulls’ double three-peat, as a result, fits the bigger picture as well. Now, whether Paul said it simply to back James in the GOAT conversation remains a mystery.

Rich Paul’s eyebrow-raising Scottie Pippen-Michael Jordan take

When Gilbert Arenas dismissed Pippen’s six titles as “sidekick rings” on the Game Over podcast and separated them from Michael Jordan’s legacy, Rich Paul quickly pushed back. LeBron James’ longtime agent made it clear he disagreed, strongly defending Pippen’s role in the Bulls’ dynasty.

“I think Scottie’s rings are the same as Michael Jordan’s,” Paul said. “He was the most impactful player on the team. If you unplug Scottie Pippen from that team, Jordan’s 0 for 6.”

Meanwhile, Max Kellerman wasn’t convinced, and his point was simple. He believed Jordan still would have had a strong No. 2 option even without Pippen. In his view, another All-Star could have filled that role. And the Bulls’ championship success likely would not have disappeared because of one roster change.

But Rich Paul intervened. He said, “Just because it’s an All-Star doesn’t mean it’s Scottie Pippen. How many All-Stars are going to be willing to take a backseat knowing what they’re walking into?”

Pippen was a cornerstone of the Bulls dynasty. Across 12 seasons in Chicago, he averaged 17.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2.1 steals. Meanwhile, helping the franchise capture six championships on 47.6% shooting. But Michael Jordan operated on another level. Averaging over 30 points per game throughout his time, winning five MVPs and six Finals MVPs has got to count for more than Paul simply saying he would be “0 for 6” without Pippen.

Maybe Jordan couldn’t have done it on his own, as Paul said. But as McMahon added, no one in NBA history can win it all alone.