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NBA Analyst Thrashes LeBron James’ Agent Rich Paul’s Comments on Pressure of ‘Following’ Michael Jordan: “He Had to Follow Magic (Johnson)”

Published 09/06/2023, 3:13 AM EDT

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LeBron James‘ best friend Rich Paul recently brought in a new analogy to the GOAT debate. While the fans and experts debated around stats and figures to defend their idols, the star sports agent brought up an uncanny analogy. While some related to Paul’s comment, an ESPN reporter didn’t agree to it. Moreover, he gave a fitting reply to the analogy on live TV defending Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan. He also dragged in Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in his statement.

The founder of Klutch Sports, Rich Paul, recently featured in the latest episode of Gil’s Arenas and discussed various NBA topics. During a particular segment in the show, he made a peculiar analogy in the MJ-Bron GOAT debate. Naturally, as a close friend of King James, he sided with the Los Angeles Lakers superstar during the show. Even though the panelists of the show agreed to his take, it didn’t impress several ESPN analysts.

An ESPN reporter dismisses LeBron James’ best friend comments

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In response to the GOAT debate, Rich Paul said, “Bron’s antlers is in platinum and Michael’s may be in gold… He had to be compared to Mike, who do Mike had to be compared to?” When this particular clip from Gil’ Arena was played in ESPN’NBA Today, former champion, Kendrick Perkins immediately dismissed the claim. Following him, his fellow panelist, Ohm Youngmisuk, further digged the comment and thrashed Paul on live TV.

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Youngmisuk started off partially agreeing to Paul’s take, where he said James was compared to MJ all the time. However, after that, he added how His Airness was also compared. He said, “Let’s not forget, when Michael was coming in to basically to make his legacy, he was following Magic and Bird.” 

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Following that, he also added that MJ’s comparison with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird made the ‘glamorous’.

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While the NBA Today’s analysts defended MJ, ESPN’s another top analyst also defended MJ.

Stephen A. Smith defends MJ again

A. Smith, who is known as an ardent fan of Michael Jordan, defended him again. He joined alongside his new partner, Shannon Sharpe, in the latest episode of First Take and made a huge claim. He said, “Michael Jordan was under a microscope… Even though LeBron is clearly the biggest star, there are a plethora of stars in the NBA.” Moreover, he also claimed that MJ’s 90s era took the NBA to the next level.

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What do you make of Ohm Youngmisuk’s take on MJ? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Shahul Hameed

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Shahul Hameed is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports, where he brings his passion for sports and entertainment journalism to life. With a Master's Degree in journalism from a reputed institute and years of experience in the industry, Shahul always strives to provide insightful and astute coverage of the NBA to the fans. Shahul's love for sports writing dates back to his college days.
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Edited by:

Sameen Nawathe