Two Months After Snubbing Kobe Bryant, Former NBA Champion Spews Added Disrespect Only to Glaze Over LeBron James

Last season, the NBA witnessed history. After three long decades, a kid from Akron stood at the zenith of the league’s all-time points. LeBron James’ shot echoed around the NBA circles, with many legends even coming to get a glimpse of the record-breaking moment. But even though he owns the mantle of having the most points, The King isn’t seen as a scoring specialist. He does have only one scoring title after all. As a fan, it’s easy to debate using resumes. But what about players? Is there anyone who thinks he was harder to guard than Kobe Bryant or maybe Michael Jordan?

Recently, his former teammate looked right through the camera and made a startling confession. Some may see it as preposterous or an awful take. Yet it might show just how multi-dimensional the Los Angeles Lakers forward really is.

LeBron James is a better offensive player than Kobe Bryant, according to his former teammate

Within a matter of few appearances as an analyst, Richard Jefferson became one of the crowd favorites. His witty humor and comedic interactions with Kendrick Perkins make for unforgettable moments on NBA Today. But he is also an intellectual basketball brain. Jefferson analyses the game much from his personal experiences in the league. The 2016 champion played for 18 years, facing foes who go down as the very greats of the NBA.

Let it be Prime Kobe Bryant or a young, rogue LeBron James, Jefferson had to endure it all. And through these face-offs, he was able to deduce something. An opinion that may not be popular amongst NBA fans. He named James as the hardest player he ever had to guard in his 18-year career.

“Kobe was gonna do what Kobe does. He was going to shoot the ball, and you just had to make it tough. If he made them all, he is going to get you 81. If he missed a couple, he was going to get you 25. That, to me, wasn’t the hardest player to guard. It was still LeBron James,” Jefferson claimed. “He was bigger, he was more physical.”

Only two months ago, Jefferson also went on JJ Reddick’s podcast and snubbed Kobe Bryant for Magic Johnson as the ‘Greatest Laker’ ever. How can Jefferson, an NBA veteran, pick James over the Black Mamba, the same phenom who had scoring streaks that baffled brains? Well, he cited the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2007 run to the NBA Finals.

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At the time, it was just an innocent LeBron James, with greatness still ahead of him. At 22, however, his intentions were notorious. In the second round, he faced Jefferson and the New Jersey Nets.

Why Jefferson feels The King was unstoppable

Do note, the Nets had Jason Kidd and Vince Carter, two potential Hall of Famers. Yet LeBron James was able to demolish the duo single-handedly. He averaged 24.7 points in that series, the most in between the two sides. The second-best scorer on the Cavaliers? Larry Hughes scored 13.8 points per night in that series.

That year he took the Cavs to their first NBA Finals. Yes, he would eventually lose, but LeBron James had leaped into superstardom at this point. From there, he kept adding to his arsenal. His unstoppable spin move, and ruthless runs to the rack, complimented with a sweet jump shot, enabled him to be the NBA’s most successful scorer.

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He might not have the flashy handles or be the most consistent shooter. However, that never crippled him. At 36, he nearly became the league’s leading scorer, averaging almost 30 points a night. Now, 21 years since he revealed his game to the world, there is still no system that can contain the King when on a hunt.