Fox Sports analyst Nick Wright recently made a bold statement that LeBron James has had a more impactful career than the recently retired NFL legend Tom Brady.
Brady, regarded by many as the greatest American football player of all time, announced his retirement from the sport after 22 illustrious seasons. Whenever there is a conversation about the greatest players in American sports, LeBron James is bound to be mentioned, though.
Wright looked past the championship rings, and focused on the individual impact of the two players. He also mentioned the off-the-field work of James when Brady shies away from political comments. Wright emphasized that King James has won titles with different teams, teammates and coaches. He said:
“What LeBron has been able to do everywhere, he’s gone & independent of coaching, far outshines Brady…LeBron never had a decade-long gap without winning a title. If LeBron’s ever not excellent, his team doesn’t win. LeBron never had a decade-long gap without winning a title. LeBron’s resume is clearly the most impressive.”
Nick Wright is renowned for making egregious comments. He has always defended James whenever anyone compares him with Michael Jordan, while dismissing the former’s six Finals losses.
Wright does make a lot of valid points, though. James has won in Cleveland, Miami and Los Angeles while earning Finals MVP in every championship run. Meanwhile, many analysts credit Brady’s rings to his New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who was part of six of his seven championships.
James has made the NBA Finals ten times, but won only four. Brady also has ten Super Bowl appearances, but did not win a title for ten years.
LeBron James doesn’t believe Tom Brady is the greatest athlete of all time
LeBron James is certainly the most complete player in basketball, and his overall impact and contribution to the game is unmatched.
However, the same cannot be said about Tom Brady, as he only plays one side of the football. In an episode of HBO’s The Shop, James gave his opinion on TB12 and how he cannot consider any football player as one of the greatest athletes. He said:
“(Football players) only have to play one side of the floor, man. Yes, Brady is unbelievable. Brady is the greatest quarterback I’ve ever seen. But he affects the game one way. And that’s by throwing the ball. And it’s great. And it’s great. He could play 22 years, but he don’t have to worry about certain things like a basketball player.”
Tom Brady doesn’t impact the game at the defensive end, unlike basketball players who have to shift their focus from offense to defense and back every few seconds. Brady’s latest loss was due to this exact reason. He led a comeback at the offensive end but when his defense had to win the game in the dying moments, they disappointed.
When Tom Brady was asked about LeBron James’ comments, he responded humbly on HBO’s The Shop, saying:
“I’m not a big comparison thing like that, and it’s because really it just depends what style you like….You could say, well, you’re maybe the most accomplished. I would say, OK, yeah, I’ve won a lot of games, Super Bowls and so forth. But my style of play might not fit everybody else’s, what their view of what that position should be. I can really just be the best with the body that I was given.”
“There’s certain things that I certainly cannot do. And I have the awareness to realize, OK, I can’t do those things. You can’t do everyone else’s job. I can’t block, tackle, run, catch. I sure as hell can’t run. But I can throw the f**k out of the ball. So let me just do that, and let me do that really well. And if I can do that, then the team certainly can use me for that.”
Brady talked about how he has excelled at the position he plays and the fact that he cannot contribute in defense is not his fault. Meanwhile, the news around his retirement has been bittersweet for fans, as they are losing arguably the greatest quarterback of all time.
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The debate around the greatest athlete of all time is disputable. However, whenever LeBron James retires, we will certainly lose one of the best players to ever lace up on the basketball court.
Q. Who has had a better career?
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