LeBron analysis shot down by league rival
LeBron James’ comments have been labelled as “not fair” by his NBA rival.
LeBron James’ assessment of Giannis Antetokounmpo has been well received by the Spurs star, but he did admit that the comparison was “unfair”.
During his appearance on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’, James said that the Greek-born player “would have 250 points in a game in the ‘70s”, adding that it was “no disrespect” to either the player or the era in question.
“You’re trying to tell me Giannis wouldn’t be able to play an NBA game in the ‘70s?” James asked rhetorically. “Giannis Antetokounmpo would have 250 points in a game in the ‘70s -- 250. That’s no disrespect, but seriously”, LeBron said on the ESPN show.
Giannis on LeBron saying he'd score 250 points in a 1970s game:
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 29, 2025
"It's wrong take…probably more 275 😆 I'm joking. Great compliment. But I don't like comparing eras. It's not fair. If I played in the 70s, how everybody practiced & played, we'd play same way…The game evolves…" pic.twitter.com/p3rtCK38nj
‘It’s definitely a great compliment. I appreciate it’
“Great compliment, but I don’t like comparing eras,” Antetokounmpo responded on Friday after the Milwaukee Bucks’ 116-107 loss to the New York Knicks. “It’s not fair. If I’d played in the ‘70s, how everybody practiced and how everybody played, we would have played the same way. That’s all you knew at the time. The game evolves. We got to 2020 and we know more.”
“It’s totally different" he continued, “so you can’t compare this era with that era,” Antetokounmpo said. “I wish at this era that I play at now -- 2025 -- I wish I could score 250 points today. But, yeah, I don’t think it’s fair to compare. I’d probably play the same way they played if I played in the ‘70s.
“It’s a great compliment coming from one of the best players in the league. It’s definitely a great compliment. I appreciate it.”
The game has, understandably, suffered various changes since the 1970s, with the main one perhaps being the introduction of the three-point line in 1979, which revolutionised how the game was played. As well as that, knowledge regarding sport science and player biology has improved significantly, leading to a more intense game that requires a higher physical output from the athletes.
On the game against the Knicks, Giannis was frank in his assessment: “They are a better team than us... They beat you already twice, you gotta come out and play with higher level intensity. You gotta hit first... I don’t think we did for 48 minutes. We have to do it more.” The Bucks are the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 40-33 record across 73 games.
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