LeBron James named the NBA player who he thinks was his biggest rival

Still going strong in his 22nd season in the NBA, LeBron James has enjoyed a long and success-filled basketball career.

The LA Lakers icon has won four championships, been named the league's Most Valuable Player four times and owns the record for the most points scored in NBA history.

And this season has seen the 39-year-old mega-star break yet more new ground, becoming the first player ever to play alongside his son in the NBA after the Lakers selected his eldest offspring, 20-year-old Bronny James, in the 2024 draft.

James' legacy as arguably the greatest basketball player of all time is well established, and few players throughout his career have been able to match the former Cleveland Cavaliers forward in terms of accolades and level of performance.

But when asked in 2013 who he considered his biggest rival in the NBA, James named a Boston Celtics legend as the player who came closest to being an opponent he considered a rival.

"I would say that I don't really have an individual rivalry," he told NBA TV. "I think the closest would be Paul Pierce."

Drafted by the Celtics in 1998, Pierce was already a two-time All-Star by the time James entered the league in 2003.

The pair would face off in post-season battles numerous times during James' first spell with the Cavaliers and later his four years with the Miami Heat.

And while James got the better of their play-off duels – with 17 wins in their 31 post-season meetings – Pierce actually boasts a winning regular-season record over the four-time MVP, with 21 wins in 38 head-to-head games.

LeBron James of the Miami Heat guarded by Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics (Getty Images)

Piece also claimed an NBA title before James, winning the Finals MVP award as he helped the Celtics lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy in 2008.

But that remained the only championship of the Boston icon's career, while James went on to accumulate four titles.

A 10-time All-Star, Pierce had spells with the Brooklyn Nets, the Washington Wizards and the LA Clippers in the latter stages of his career before he retired in 2017.