Retired 10-time All-Star Paul Pierce believes that he is responsible for Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James elevating his game to superstar status.
Pierce says the numerous playoff battles with James, specifically when the Boston Celtics squared off against the Miami Heat in the early 2010s, helped mold James into the superstar that he's become.
"I truly feel responsible for taking LeBron to that next level," Pierce said on Friday's episode of Undisputed on FS1. "When he went to Miami, Game 6 in Boston when we had them on the ropes to go back to the Finals, that was the game that took LeBron to the next level."
When Skip Bayless asked Pierce if he felt like he was able to challenge James, the former Celtics star said that at that point in his career he was switching on-and-off James defensively. In earlier playoff battles when James was in Cleveland, Pierce was the primary defender.
"It wasn't a lot against me," Pierce said of his playoff battles when James was in Miami. "I was a little older. I guarded him a little. Brandon Bass guarded him a little."
"I truly feel responsible for taking LeBron to that next level." - Paul Pierce pic.twitter.com/53VHuVRzAv
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There's no doubt that the playoff tilts between Pierce and James were some of the best early stage postseason games of James's career, and whether or not Pierce's statement is true, the battles will go down in Eastern Conference playoff history as historic to James's career.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Paul Pierce 'Feels Responsible' for LeBron James's Ascent to Superstar Status.
