LeBron James’ Former Teammate: “If LeBron Got Drafted to Chicago, and He Got Scottie Pippen..”

Published 01/01/2022, 6:30 AM EST

Channing Frye and Richard Jefferson co-hosted a podcast episode in Podcast One along with Robert Horry. They discussed some topics from basketball history, including the struggles and performances of some top players from the 90s. A debate erupted over LeBron James and Michael Jordan following Charles Barkley’s comment and the legacy of Kobe Bryant.

According to them, they made compromises for some players in particular.

In addition, as they were discussing superteams, they discussed what kind of future, LeBron would have had if he had traded to Chicago stating: “If Bron would have been drafted into Chicago, and he would have got Scottie Pippen in his third year or fourth year. Yeah, where was he gonna go? It’s Chicago.“

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The outcome would have been different if LeBron James had traded with Shaq

Former NBA professional, Barkley once commented that Lebron did not work hard enough to be compared to Michael Jordan, the all-time great player

“LeBron is amazing. What he’s done in the community is amazing, ” Barkley says, “In fairness, I wouldn’t even put LeBron past, Kobe, let’s get that out of the way. I want to be fair. The reason I put Michael up there, above those other guys. LeBron has stacked his teams, let’s be realistic.”

Following this statement, Jefferson and Frye discussed how LeBron wasn’t familiar with what Kobe faced when playing with top players. In the conversation, they discussed what would have happened if LeBron had gone with Shaquille O’Neal, Eddie Jones, and Nick van Exel. They mentioned Kobe showed up with these guys and asked if LeBron would hold that title today if he had followed a similar path.

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The players also discussed how essential it is for players’ minds to work for the team in the best way possible, so others can shine as well. The players emphasized that certain players, such as Kobe or Nick, had very strong heads towards their play.

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When Jefferson was asked about Barkley’s comment about James in a previous interview, he replied:

“In all fairness Chuck is right. LeBron didn’t get drafted to a team with Shaq like Kobe. Cavs never found the Pippen in Bron’s first 8 years because he was too good they never drafted that high. Ps… Charles got drafted to a team with Dr.J, Moses Malone, and 2 other Hall of Famers. I see his point, though.”

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Comparing LeBron to Jordan is not new. People question his ability to perform at the same level as Jordan. What is your opinion on this topic?

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Anshika Rai is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. She is currently pursuing her bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication. Anshika has been following NBA for many years now.

LeBron James’ Former Teammate: “If LeBron Got Drafted to Chicago, and He Got Scottie Pippen..”

The outcome would have been different if LeBron James had traded with Shaq

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