Pippen "I was Lebron James before Lebron James"

[hpantazo]

So, Pippen claims Lebron is most similar to him than to any other former great, and he was the original Lebron:

http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2015/6/30/8868049/scottie-pippen-says-he-was-lebron-james-before-lebron-james

Is he an old fool or does he have a point?

[hpantazo]

One thing both him and Lebron have in common, they needed other star players to win titles.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

One thing both him and Lebron have in common, they needed other star players to win titles.

But seriously, I thought Grant Hill was the first LeBron.

[Clench123]

One thing both him and Lebron have in common, they needed other star players to win titles.

So did Jordan and Kobe.  Don't let us act like these greats didn't need one or two great stars by their side to win chips just to spite Lebron.

[LarBrd33]

He has a point. In his prime pippen averaged something like 22 points 7 assists and 7 rebounds but that was while sharing the court with one of the greatest scorers of all time.   Pippen was an otherworldly defender.  Jordan finished below .500 his first three seasons in the league. It wasn't until the arrival of pippen that they started winning.   They won 57 games during their 3rd championship.  Jordan retired to play baseball and pippen lead them to 55 wins the next year without MJ.  The threat of a 4-peat was real.

Pippen was super underrated. Definitely a superstar in his own right. We overlook him for obvious reasons.  Bron has similarities... But as much as pippen has a point, bron is superior in many ways.  Bron is a combination of Jordan, pippen, Magic johnson and Karl Malone.

[BudweiserCeltic]

He has a point, particularly on the context of "LeBron's game".

[86MaxwellSmart]

He is correct....they BOTH quit on their teams.

[Donoghus]

If you're talking about type of game, then Pippen is kinda right.  The similarities are certainly there.

[Robb]

Pippen was super underrated. Definitely a superstar in his own right. We overlook him for obvious reasons.  Bron has similarities... But as much as pippen has a point, bron is superior in many ways.  Bron is a combination of Jordan, pippen, Magic johnson and Karl Malone.

I'd go David Robinson instead of Malone.

[Celtics17]

Pippen was really something. He and Dennis Rodman are two of the most underrated players I have ever seen. I use to always say that Pippen was the best player in the league, from 11 feet up, amd that includes Jordan. He was an excellent defender, capable of guarding MJ and Lebron as well and Rodman is the only other player I can think of who could do that.

Pippen was excellent in all facets of the game, passing, rebounding, scoring, defense and was so versatile that he allowed MJ to concentrate on scoring and defense when needed but MJ rarely had to really do both very well in the same game.

While I dont think Pippen was as good as Lebron he's not that far behind! He couldnt pass quite as well but didnt need to playing with Jordan. He couldnt get the rebound in traffic quite like Lebron due to Bron having much more strength. Pippen was, in my opinion, a better defender then Lebron although not as versatile. Pippen never had to score like Lebron but he could have averaged 25 a game with no problem had he needed to. Pippen never won a title as the 'main guy' but MJ never won one as the main guy without having Pippen as his number two either.

[mgent]

Truth.

LeBron is 1000 times more comparable to guys like Pippen, Dr. J, and Jerry West than he is to Jordan.

[crimson_stallion]

I don't believe in this, not in the least.

Lebron has been up around a 27 PPG scorer over his entire career - that puts him up among probably the top 5 or so players ALL TIME in terms of pure scoring numbers.

Pippen struggled to average 20 PPG in any of his year in the league.

Yes, I know people are going to say "but Pippen had Jordan".  This is true.  Wade however had no trouble at all average 20 PPG+ when he was playing alongside Lebron, and remained one of the NBA's elite offensive players during that time.

Pippen was (unquestionably) a far better defensive player than James, but he's not the same type of player.  The only way these guy are similar is that they are both 6'8" and they are both versatile players on both ends of the court.  That can be said about a lot of NBA players past and present...

I think Pippen is actually more like Paul George than Lebron James, to be honest.

I mean really, Pippen was around 6'8" and around 220 - 230 pounds at his heaviest.  One of Lebron's most unique characteristics is the fact he is so physically strong, yet so quick/fast.  That combination of speed and power is a huge part of what makes him so dominant, and Pippen never had that type of power.

[BornReady]

I think pippen was more of a defensive player and better defender than Lebron
But Lebron is better offensively

Also I'm not sure about this player comparison
But the Lebron before Lebron = Elgin Baylor

[Moranis]

In 93-94 at the age of 28, Pippen averaged 22 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.9 steals, and 0.8 blocks.  That season is of note because it is the one full season Pippen had in his prime when he did not play with Jordan.  It is also his career high in all but assists and blocks.  While those are nice numbers, they aren't anywhere near Lebron James numbers. 

Lebron is pretty much a better defending version of Oscar Robertson.  That is his closest comparison.  A guy that was bigger, stronger, faster, and just better than the men guarding him, who could score from anywhere at an obscene efficiency, pass like almost no one before him, rebound better than anyone else at his position, and generally just take over a game at any time.