“It’s really corny”: Rich Paul sounds off on LeBron James not getting flowers from older generation due to ‘envy’
Rich Paul, one of LeBron James' closest friends, recently appeared on Shannon Sharpe's podcast. One of the topics Sharpe discussed with Paul was why the older generation of NBA players don't appreciate James' greatness. Throughout the years, James has exemplified the true meaning of being a legend in the league, but for some reason, he doesn't get the appreciation that he deserves, especially from the old heads.
Rich Paul expressed confusion and didn't understand why that was the case. Paul pointed out that it could be because James was already a great player in the NBA, even at the beginning of his career. Many of the older players who judge James today are the same players who were in their prime when he was still a rookie. Because James was a newcomer who got all the attention and a big bag of money, Paul thinks it's a matter of people being envious of LBG.
"It's really corny to me," Paul said. "It's layered in my opinion. You gotta remember, when LeBron came in, a lot of [older generation of players] were still in their prime and all the attention turned to him. Hundred million contract. They never seen nothing like that. ... Quite naturally, in the neighborhood you develop what? Envy."
LeBron James is still one of the best despite playing in his 21st NBA season
It's year 21 for LeBron James, and Father Time seems to be non-existent for the "King". So far, in only a couple of games of the 2023-24 NBA season, it's apparent that the LA Lakers still need LeBron on the court to win games. During their opening match against the Denver Nuggets, statistics showed that the Lakers could easily keep up with the defending champions as long as James was checked in.
It was a similar scenario in their second game against the Phoenix Suns. James played 35 minutes, despite Darvin Ham limiting his playing time to 29-30 minutes per game.
Looking at LeBron James' stats so far, the scoring numbers have dropped a bit, but his efficiency is still on par with the superstars of today. James is averaging 21.0 points, 8.0 assists, 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. Given that it's only their second game of the season, we can expect his points average to get higher from here.