Rich Paul imagines LeBron James aging into the role of Karl Malone
It’s no secret that LeBron James he chases one more ring before riding off into the sunset. While it is Los Angeles Lakers they’re having a tough campaign, they’re still in the thick of it, and that’s never smart bet against a team with James and Luka Doncic.
James willingly took the back seat Doncic to allow the talented guard to become the focal point of the Lakers. The 41-year-old James has lost some of his speed, explosiveness and athleticism over the past few years, smartly recalibrating his game to remain effective.
This was revealed by NBA analyst Max Kellerman in “The Bill Simmons Podcast”. Rich PaulJames’ agent envisions the future Hall of Famer playing more specific role for purple and gold.
“Rich likes the idea of LeBron playing like a roller. He will.” Carl Malone. I love that idea too. A smarter Karl Malone. He is the same size. 6-foot-8, 260 (pounds), and he could shoot from the outside,” said Kellerman, who co-hosts the podcast with Paul.
Simmons, however, was afraid of the idea.
“I think it’s so hard. I know you talked to Rich about this, and the three of us talked about it. It’s so hard to take somebody who was the best of all time at what they did and tell them, ‘Now you are this,'” Simmons replied.
In 2003, Malone was in Los Angeles for one season while trying to win a championship. But even joining a powerhouse that included Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and Gary Payton wasn’t enough to get him a ring. He retired at the end of the season.
Malone, then 40, averaged 13.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.2 steals in 42 games with the Lakers.
James distanced himself from Paul after the latter talked about trading Austin Reeves, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he did it again.
2026-03-02 01:53:00
