When it comes to the all-time greats in basketball, not many people will argue against putting LeBron James near or at the top of the list with Michael Jordan. However, a common debate pits LeBron vs. Michael for the greatest of all time.
Generally, that debate might involve reference to how long LeBron has played and how many NBA Finals he has participated in without winning championships.
As of this writing, LeBron has participated in 10 NBA Finals during his career and won four championships. He won his last championship with the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2020 NBA bubble tournament.
Along the way, he faced many significant opponents, including Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals and Paul Pierce’s Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
They famously competed against each other while LeBron was part of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and then when LeBron went to the Miami Heat as part of a trio of All-Stars that included Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. However, a key difference between LeBron and Pierce was age.
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Pierce, who has remained outspoken since his retirement, recently made a bold claim about the number of championships LeBron won in the NBA, suggesting things might have gone differently.
“If we were the same age, I don’t believe he would’ve had four championships,” Pierce said during his recent appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s “Club ShayShay.”
“He wouldn’t have got those two in Miami,” Pierce claimed regarding two of LeBron’s four championships, adding, “I gotta believe if we’re the same age, then I could offset him.”
Pierce referenced LeBron scoring over 40 points in Game 6 of their 2012 Eastern Conference Finals battle and indicated that if he were the same age, he would’ve had a similar performance then against LeBron’s team.
“I was at an older age then, a lot of miles. It was harder for me to keep up with him,” the NBA Hall of Famer told Sharpe.
When LeBron played for the Eastern Conference’s Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat, he had the better stats and a better record. According to StatMuse, King James was 17-13 all-time against Paul Pierce in the NBA Playoffs.
Pierce averaged 17 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists across those matchups. However, the younger LeBron had superior numbers with 29.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 5.3 assists.
The Celtics’ great achieved his only championship in 2008. Although he and the Celtics also had a shot at another in 2010, Boston lost to the Lakers, led by legend Kobe Bryant.
Pierce officially retired in 2017 and is now a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. LeBron is seeking a fifth championship alongside superstar Luka Doncic, but could be nearing his retirement soon.
Pierce is eight years older than LeBron, and while he believes that being the same age as his rival might have changed King James’ career, many fans might still argue otherwise based on LeBron’s overall talent level.
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