Suns announcer stands up for LeBron James amid Paul Pierce’s controversial remarks: "Like LBJ broke you in game 6 2012"

Paul Pierce had a fascinating conversation on the "Dan Le Batard Show" this week, discussing LeBron James and the 2008 Boston Celtics championship team. The former NBA star believes that the 2008 lineup would be capable of competing with the current Celtics roster.

Pierce used the word "will" when discussing the strengths of the 2008 team and seemed to call out James, whom Boston eliminated from the playoffs in the Eastern Conference semifinals that year.

"Out team, we knew how to break teams mentally. What we lacked in skill versus them, we had with will," said Pierce. "I've been known to break a few wills—sent some of them from Cleveland to Miami."

Pierce's comments were likely making a reference to James' highly publicized move from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Miami Heat in 2010. The claim, however, seemed to irk Phoenix Suns announcer Eddie A. Johnson and the former NBA player stood up to Pierce's controversial remarks with a strong response on X on Monday.

"Sorta like LBJ broke you in game 6 2012? Life is indeed a circle. I definitely would agree with that!" Johnson said.

The 2012 Eastern Conference finals saw LeBron James and the Miami Heat take on the Celtics, with "King James" coming out on top. Game 6 of the series was particularly special for James, who went on to finish with 45 points, 15 rebounds and five assists to lead the Heat to a 98-79 victory. That game swung the momentum back in Miami's favor, and they proceeded to win Game 7 and head to the championship.

James would go on to win his first championship with the Heat in 2012 and put together an incredible run where his team featured in the NBA finals over eight consecutive seasons from 2011 to 2018. Overall, the Ohio native has four championships with three different organizations.

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LeBron James enters his 22nd year in the league as the NBA's all-time scoring leader

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center (Credits: Imagn)

In February, LeBron James converted a 14-foot fadeaway against Oklahoma City to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's career total of 38,387 points. That historic shot made James the all-time points leader in NBA history. His current point total stands at 40,935 as of Dec. 3.

James is once again off to a strong start for the Los Angeles Lakers and is averaging 22.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 9.1 assists over his first 21 games of the season.

Overall, it has been a memorable 12 months for James, who is currently in the midst of his 22nd season in the NBA. The 39-year-old won a gold medal with Team USA at the Paris Olympics this summer. In October, he was able to take the court alongside his son, Bronny James, with the two becoming the first father-son duo to play together in the NBA.