“LeBron has a whole army… that defend him as the GOAT”: Colin Cowherd kills Rich Paul’s theory that LeBron James gets more push back than Steph Curry

Colin Cowherd contested the comments made by Rich Paul, the agent of LeBron James, who argued that James' NBA title in the Orlando bubble is often unjustly downplayed, claiming that there would be less criticism if Stephen Curry won it.

On the "Gil's Arena" podcast, Paul, the CEO of Klutch Sports, discussed the debates surrounding the credibility of the LA Lakers' 2020 NBA Finals victory.

"If Steph were to win in the bubble, would it be dismissed? No, it wouldn't," Paul said on the podcast.

Cowherd disagreed with Paul, asserting that basketball enthusiasts are already downplaying Curry's greatness.

“Wait a minute. Wait a minute," Cowherd said. "We discount two of Steph Curry's titles because KD (Kevin Durant) played on the team. We discount Steph's first title because he didn't win MVP and Kevin Love and Kyrie got hurt.

“Steph's career has been discounted. He literally changed basketball at the high school, European, AAU, college basketball, NBA level. When I was a kid, it was cool to dunk. I wish I could have. Now kids would rather shoot 3s.”

Cowherd also pointed out that while most people include James on their lists of the greatest basketball players of all time, adding Curry to such a list tends to spark resistance or disagreement.

“(Curry) changed everything, and he's been discounted the entire time," Cowherd said. "LeBron has an army of people that will defend him as the greatest player ever. I certainly think it's a legitimate argument. If you include Steph in the top 10, you get pushback.”

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LeBron James wants to play with Stephen Curry

Cowherd also pointed out that even James had expressed his desire to play with Curry.

“Years ago, LeBron was talking about … the player in the league (he would) want to play with," Cowherd said. "He didn't even pause and said Steph. The smart guys in this league get it.

“Steph has never been given the respect he deserves. LeBron was the guy. We gave it to (Tim) Duncan. We gave it to Shaq (O'Neal). We gave it to (Larry) Bird. Have we ever just said Steph's the best basketball player on the planet? I don't know. I don't hear it a lot. I don't hear it.”