LeBron James' wild Giannis Antetokounmpo claim will make 70s NBA stars angry

LeBron James is usually a reserved figure when it comes to maing comments that might be controversial to the media. However, in a snippet released from his upcoming interview on the Pat McAfee Show, the King made quite the wild claim.

Modern NBA stars have to often deal with comparisons to stars from bygone eras, and it leads to the occasional back and forth between a current and former player. A lot of it centres around a purported lack of defense in today's game. Speaking about Giannis Antetokounmpo though, LeBron suggested he would decimate teams if he played in the 70s.

Lebron:

"You trying to tell me Giannis wouldn't be able to play an NBA game in the 70s? Giannis would have 250 points in a game in the 70s.” 😂😂😂😂

(h/t @ohnohedidnt24)

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— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 26, 2025

"You trying to tell me Giannis wouldn't be able to play an NBA game in the 70s?" James asked. Laughing about the rhetorical question, the Lakers star added, "Giannis Antetokounmpo would have 250 points in a game in the 70s. 250."

This is obviously hyperbole from LeBron James, who is trying to simply make his point emphatically. However, to suggest that Giannis Antetokounmpo, skilled as he is, would dominate the 70s to that extent is a claim that is sure to garner some backlash once it goes viral.

The endless debate between NBA eras is one that is impossible to settle, but LeBron's point echoes a sentiment many current players have shared. There is no denying that on average, players in today's league are more skilled than they used to back in the 70s, to use the same example.

The whole situation is like comparing apples to oranges though, and the NBA would likely benefit if this verbal war between he legends of today and the legends of yesteryear took a backseat for a little while.

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