Kendrick Perkins Urges LeBron James' Agent to Stop Damaging Lakers Star's GOAT Case

In the never-ending GOAT debate in NBA circles, LeBron James and Michael Jordan almost always end up as the finalists. Different people come up with different theories to put one ahead of the other. Rich Paul, however, recently made a claim that Kendrick Perkins felt was so absurd it could actually hurt the Lakers star's case.

Paul had stated that without Scottie Pippen alongside MJ in the six NBA Finals he went to, he would have won zero. In fact, Paul feels that no other All-Star could have done what Pippen did in those series, making it sound like Pippen was the sole reason behind the Bulls' incredible success in the 1990s.

Perkins sounded exasperated in his Road Trippin' podcast and said, "This is where [Paul] starts to hurt LeBron James' GOAT case. This is where people start saying the controlling of the narrative.

You're speaking on MJ and saying these things, and it's like, 'here goes Rich Paul, LeBron's guy to hype up his GOAT status,' Perkins added. "But it's not hyping it up, it's actually making it worse."

It's not surprising to see Paul try to hype James up. They were long-time friends before Paul left Leon Rose's agency to create his own in 2012 and start managing the King's career. And sometimes, when it's time to defend James in public, Paul can go above and beyond.

Whether James is better than Jordan feels secondary to Perkins' point, however. MJ was the face of the Bulls franchise and averaged over 30 points per game during his time in Chicago. Pippen, meanwhile, played an important, albeit secondary, role, averaging around 17 points per game.

So, to say that Pippen was the reason Jordan went 6-0 in the NBA Finals felt like a cheap shot at MJ's legacy, at least as far as Perkins was concerned. And it made even more sense to target Jordan's Finals record because that's a clear area in which James is overshadowed.

Unlike Jordan, James has reached more NBA Finals in his career, with 10 appearances. But also unlike His Airness, James doesn't have a perfect record on that stage. He's won only four of his 10 trips to the Finals, with two titles coming with the Heat, one with the Cavaliers, and one with the Lakers.

Paul, with his comments about Pippen and Jordan, was simply trying to delegitimize that perfect Finals record belonging to MJ.

Rich Paul's comments on Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan

In an episode of the Game over podcast, Rich Paul, Max Kellerman, and special guest Gilbert Arenas talked about rings, ring culture, and the individual value of championships.

According to Arenas, Scottie Pippen's championships were not of equal value to Michael Jordan's or even LeBron James'. But Paul disagreed, saying, “I think Scottie Pippen’s rings are just the same as Michael Jordan’s. Why not?”

Paul believed that Pippen was actually the most impactful player on those six title winning teams. He took it further, claiming that if Pippen had not been there, Jordan might never have won a title.

“It’s not ‘could be’ or ‘who knows,'” he continued. “You can replace him with another All-Star. But just because he’s an All-Star doesn’t mean he’s Scottie Pippen…You’re talking about a guy that’s 6’9″ who plays both sides of the ball. He’s got a 7’3″ wingspan, he can initiate the offense.”

While Paul did not mention James by name, it's easy to see why some interpreted the comments as a shot at Jordan.

The Bulls legend and James have been at the center of the GOAT debate for years, and any remark that can be linked to either player is bound to attract attention.

Both Jordan and James have downplayed the conversation over the years, but their supporters have not. The debate remains as heated as ever, which is why Perkins viewed Paul's take as an attempt to strengthen James' case in the eyes of fans.