Paul Pierce takes credit for LeBron James success, and it's as absurd as it sounds

When LeBron James was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers out of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in 2003, he was one of the most anticipated players in league history. His expectations were through the roof and yet he still found a way to exceed them.

We are all used to the comparisons between James and Michael Jordan at this point. However, have you ever thought that someone else may have played a big role in LeBron's success besides himself? Paul Pierce has a theory and it's absolutely absurd.

Paul Pierce takes credit for LeBron James success

On live television knowing that millions of people would hear his claim, Paul Pierce had the guts to utter the following words on the sports talk show Undisputed:

"I truly feel responsible for taking LeBron to that next level."

What an attention-grabbing statement. Pierce went on to say that in the 2010-11 season (LeBron's first year with the Miami Heat), Games 5 and 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics apparently pushed LeBron over the top and took him to the next level.

Skip Bayless proceeded to ask if James was showcasing this alleged jump in his game with Pierce guarding him. Pierce did not want to admit that he couldn't guard LeBron and just responded with, "It wasn't a lot against me. I was a little older then. We did some switching off."

That is an interesting response for someone who just claimed to be responsible for LeBron's success. To disprove Pierce's comments even more, let's take a look at James' accolades before the 2010-2011 season.

LeBron James took off well before the 2010 season

In his first stint with the Cavs, LeBron may not have led Cleveland to an NBA title, but he sure did have a lot of individual success. Between 2003 and 2010, James accomplished the following: NBA Rookie of the Year, NBA Scoring title, two-time MVP (five-time top-10 in MVP voting), two-time NBA Defensive first team, six-time NBA All-Star, two-time All-NBA second team and four-time All-NBA first team.

All of this does not include what James had accomplished since joining the Miami Heat in 2010. James had a Hall-of-Fame caliber career before even meeting Pierce in the Eastern Conference Finals. To try and take responsibility for LeBron being the player he is today is simply just Pierce trying to draw attention to himself.