One easily could argue that Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time. But is he the greatest athlete of all time? LeBron James has his doubts.
James presented the case against Brady — and any other football player, for that matter — during a barbershop chat posted on “Uninterrupted.”
Here’s what the Cleveland Cavaliers star had to say, as transcribed by MassLive.com’s Kevin Duffy:
“My only argument with a football player being the greatest athlete of all time is that they’ve only got to play one side of the floor, man. Yes, Brady is unbelievable. Brady is the greatest quarterback I’ve ever seen, but he affects the game one way. And that’s by throwing the ball. And it’s great. And it’s great. He could play 22 years, but he doesn’t have to worry about certain things.
“As a basketball player, and the pounding you take, and running both sides … ‘Oh (expletive), I gotta get back on defense. Oh (expletive), I’ve got to get back on offense. Oh (expletive), I’ve got to get back on defense.’ As physical as football is to the body, I know it’s crazy to the body, but for a quarterback, (Patriots coach Bill Bill) Belichick has done a great job of implementing those five guys in front to protect that asset every Sunday. That’s Belichick. That’s not Brady …
“For us, every single night you’ve got to know both sides. We both played football. You played football. Rich (Paul), you played football. The offense never even talked to the defense! All week! We didn’t even speak to y’all! It’s two different teams. Actually, it’s three different teams–special teams. When I played football, offensively, I never even talked to the defensive side. I never talked to y’all. Ain’t nothing to talk about!”
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, who also was featured in the video, seemed to support the idea that Belichick deserves more credit for the New England Patriots’ success than Brady does.
“Matt Cassel did that, too!” Green said. “And so did Jacoby Brissett or whatever his name is this year! And so did (Jimmy) Garoppolo!”
Check out the full conversation below. James’ comments on Brady begin around the 24:50 mark.
Thumbnail photo via Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports Images
