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Ex-NBA Star Slams Austin Rivers Over Controversial LeBron James Take

Former Sixth Man of the Year winners took umbrage with Austin Rivers' recent LeBron James take
Will Despart|
Mar 6, 2018; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Austin Rivers (25) reacts after a technical foul as New Orleans Pelicans guard Ian Clark (2) attempts a free throw during the second quarter at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images
Mar 6, 2018; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Austin Rivers (25) reacts after a technical foul as New Orleans Pelicans guard Ian Clark (2) attempts a free throw during the second quarter at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images | Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Clippers

Former Los Angeles Clippers guard Austin Rivers has been no stranger to a controversial statement since he picked up a podcast mic not too long ago. While one of his more recent takes wasn't his craziest, it did ruffle the feathers of one former NBA star and prompted a response.

During a recent episode of his "Off Guard" podcast, Rivers explained why he views Kevin Durant and a handful of other elite scorers in NBA history as superior to LeBron James in that area of the game.

"LeBron is number one [in scoring], but his game doesn’t match a prototypical scorer," Rivers said. "It’s also not sexy. LeBron’s game is built on force, sheer will, dedication, his mind, his IQ, the way he's able to dissect and control a game. And power, above anything else. He wills himself to the basket.

James has over 42,000 points in his career and counting, and as Rivers puts it, he's not the prototypical scorer. A lot of it has to do with longevity, and James has never been labeled as a great jump shooter either.

Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron Jame
February 11, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) reacts on a three-point basket against the Golden State Warriors during the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

"LeBron has scored more points than Kevin, but Kevin can score in a much bigger variety of ways than LeBron. You can argue with the wall, but that’s just the truth. LeBron doesn’t have half the offensive bag that Kevin has…I would say Kevin [Durant], Carmelo [Anthony], James Harden, Kobe [Bryant], Michael [Jordan], and [Allen] Iverson are the best scorers I’ve ever seen.”

Johnson, the 1989 NBA Sixth Man of the Year and current Phoenix Suns color commentator, took umbrage with Rivers' comments on LeBron's scoring prowess and clapped back by poking fun at Rivers' own scoring credentials.

"What is a bag? This man has over 50,000 career points and Austin talking about a bag. 8th in 3 pointers made all-time. LBJ Is a point guard deluxe and Austin talking about a bag. 6,000 career points should be disqualified from discussing and rating Scorers. 🤷🏾😂," Johnson posted on X.

Eddie Johnson's Career

Johnson is a somewhat underrated figure in NBA history, in large part because of the fact that he was only a regular starter in the league for three seasons and never earned All-Star honors. Johnson was a 20-point per game scorer three times in the league, averaging a career high 22.9 points with the Kansas City Kings in 1984-85.

His lone significant accolade as an NBA player was the aforementioned Sixth Man of the Year Award that he earned in 1989-90 by averaging 21.5 points per game off the bench for a Phoenix Suns team that suffered its first of consecutive Western Conference Finals losses that season.

The signature moment of Johnson's career came with the Houston Rockets in Game 4 of the 1997 Western Conference Finals, when he buried the game-winning 3-point field goal at the buzzer to knot the series at two games apiece before Houston eventually lost in six games.

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Will Despart
WILL DESPART

Will Despart is a Las Vegas-based sportswriter who covers the NBA for OnSI. He also writes for Ballislife and handles multiple beats for The Sporting Tribune, including the Las Vegas Aces and Las Vegas Raiders. His reporting has been featured in newspapers across the country through the Field Level Media news wire.

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