Making outrageous claims in the NBA is no new thing to the league. However, when a rookie made the claim that he was better than the NBA legend, LeBron James himself, the player gathered some contention. To top it off, the player hadn’t set foot on the court yet. Meanwhile, in a recent episode of the ‘Podcast P with Paul George,’ an 8x NBA All-Star was all-praise for the rookie that dared to challenge LeBron James.

An NBA rookie claimed he was better than LeBron James

Bennedict Mathurin, during his tenure as a rookie for the Pacers, created a stir with his unflinching confidence and competitive attitude. Mathurin, a native of Montreal, distinguished himself at the University of Arizona by displaying his extraordinary talent and courage. He brought those same qualities with him when he shifted to the league.

Even before stepping foot on an NBA court, Mathurin didn’t shy away from expressing what he thinks. He was candid in a pre-draft interview with the Washington Post about Lakers icon LeBron James. Mathurin announced, “A lot of people say he’s great. I want to see how great he is. I don’t think anybody is better than me. He’s going to have to show me he’s better than me.”

And boy, did he deliver on his words.

Despite the stark difference in their basketball accomplishments, Mathurin was able to live up to his hype on the floor. The Pacers put on an amazing comeback, erasing a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter and eventually defeating the struggling Lakers 116-115.

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LeBron produced 21 points and seven rebounds, while Mathurin concluded the game with exceptional stats of 23 points and eight rebounds, giving further weight to his earlier comments.

8x NBA star left in awe of the rookie

In a recent episode of the ‘Podcast P with Paul George,’ 8x NBA All-Star,

Paul George was left in awe of the rookie. In this episode, the shooting Guard Jalen Green along with his co-hosts Jackie Long and Dallas Rutherford joined Paul George. The hosts then jumped into the rated PG session.

During this session, Paul George compares a young talent in the league to a veteran and discloses a lesser-known fact about them. This time P.G chose Benedict Mathurin.

He said,

“Even competing against him watching them play like um, I think you know for organization like Indiana that’s what they need like players like him. Those dogs. To me, he’s got like a shade of D Wade in them. Like that mid-range game, tough, athletic, strong body, Savvy. You know attacking the basket like he’s got a little shade of D Wade to him.”Watch This Story:?Weeks After Winning Exhausting Legal Battle, Hall of Fame Bound Dwyane Wade Gushes Over Baby Girl Zaya Reaching New Heights

George Paul was of the opinion that Mathurin from the Indiana Pacers had similar traits and skills to Dwyane Wade. This included his mid-range game and his athletic body. Do you agree with this take of G.P?