Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin challenges LeBron James ahead of new NBA season, says Lakers star is not better than him

Nobody can accuse Bennedict Mathurin of entering the NBA with unrealistic expectations. According to Ben Golliver of the Washington Post, the rookie for the Indiana Pacers remarked of LeBron James, “A lot of people believe he’s terrific.” he said, “I want to witness his greatness. Nobody, in my opinion, is superior to me. He will need to demonstrate to me how superior he is.”

The Pacers may have received the best deal in professional sports history if they selected a player who is superior to James with the No. 6 overall choice in Thursday’s NBA draft.

Because of LeBron’s impressive résumé, which includes four titles, four NBA Finals MVPs, four league MVPs, 18 All-NBA picks, 18 All-Star Game nominations, and six All-Defensive awards, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar is considered one of the best players of all time.

Although Mathurin will have the privilege of competing against James who will turn 38 in December. There seems to be a reason why so many people think he’s amazing. The only issue for the Pacers rookie is that even at this juncture in his career, LeBron still able to average a staggering 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game in the previous season.

Image Credits – CNBC

Mathurin was chosen by the Pacers with the No. 6 overall choice in the 2022 NBA draft. He will need to concentrate on establishing himself in the league. Mathurin should complement Tyrese Haliburton and Malcolm Brogdon, according to our own Krysten Peek, who approved of the selection.

It is unknown when Mathurin and James will face off because the NBA schedule for the 2022–2023 season has not yet been made public. After that game, there’s a strong possibility Mathurin’s comments will come out again. That time, it probably won’t be good for the youngster.

And if James sees these remarks, he’ll likely be even more driven when he faces Mathurin in the 2022–2023 season. So yes, good luck to the Pacers’ newest player.

Being confident in one’s abilities is one thing for an NBA rookie. It’s one thing to criticize one of the finest NBA players of all time until you’ve even participated in a single match.

Before retiring to his hotel room to complete his last-minute draft preparations, Mathurin revealed that his first game facing Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James would be the test he was most anticipating as a rookie.

 

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