Pippen: I was LeBron James before LeBron James

Scottie Pippen. AP FILE PHOTO

LeBron James is the pinnacle of versatility in the small forward position, guarding and playing four positions at will.

He’s been compared to legends like Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan.

Problem is, Jordan and Johnson are guards and one legendary small forward claims to be the LeBron James prototype.

Scottie Pippen.

Before James became known as the game’s most versatile small forward, Pippen was bullying smaller players and blazing past bigger ones during the Chicago Bulls’ romp of 1990s NBA en route to six championships.

“I was LeBron James before LeBron James,” Pippen told Northeast Ohio Media Group. “It’s not even close.”

Pippen paired up with the game’s greatest, Jordan, to make arguably the NBA’s best duo and putting the Bulls in the NBA pantheon.

He added James’ style of play is more similar to his than Jordan’s.

“They want to compare him to the greatest, whether it be Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson, but he’s more closer to myself,” Pippen said. “It’s natural for folks to say that, but if you look at how he plays the game and how I played the game, you’ll see more similarities with us.” CFC