"Maybe I’m confusing a legend with iconic because people are going to remember Kyrie Irving" - Chris Broussard claims Damian Lillard has been a more influential NBA player than Kyrie Irving

Chris Broussard makes a case for Damian Lillard, right, having a better career than Kyrie Irving, left. [Photo: NBC Sports]

The Kyrie Irving vs. Damian Lillard debate has skyrocketed following Jayson Tatum’s interview with Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks. In that interview, Rooks labeled “Uncle Drew” as a superstar but could not do the same for “Dame” due to the latter’s lack of championship hardware.

On "The Odd Couple" podcast, NBA analyst Chris Broussard disagreed with Rooks. He wouldn't call either of them superstars, but called Lillard's career better than Irving's.

“I would not call Kyrie a superstar," Broussard said. "I think Kyrie is a –celebrity? ... But I will say this: I do think Kyrie is going to be, like, a legend. Maybe I’m confusing a legend with iconic, because people are going to remember Kyrie Irving. By most people’s estimation, he is the best ball handler ever.

"You're hearing more and more people say he is the most skilled point guard or player ever.”

Broussard’s disagreement boils down to his description of "superstar," which is different from that of Rooks. Despite Irving having an NBA title on his resume, the Fox Sports analyst carefully considered the story behind the success.

To better elaborate on his point, he brought up Lillard's career as a Portland Trail Blazers point guard:

“If you wanna say streetball, who has more skills, who has the better skills? I can see you going with Kyrie. … Who do you most trust? Damian Lillard has had his own team for a decade, and they have been very good. Alone. They did not win the championship, but they’ve gone to the conference finals.

“Kyrie has not shown he could do that. Kyrie won with LeBron. ... When he’s had his own team, it has been a disaster!”

In Irving’s first three years in the NBA without LeBron James, he didn’t even sniff the playoffs. He got his first taste of the postseason following “The King’s” return to Cleveland during the 2014-15 season, when they went to the NBA Finals.

Without James, “Uncle Drew” continues to be a box-office draw with his skills but hasn’t nearly been as successful.

Meanwhile, Lillard quietly took the mantle of becoming the Trail Blazers’ leader and franchise player. Lillard has led the Blazers to the playoffs in eight of the last 10 seasons. Lillard is the franchise foundation who hardly misses games, fights through adversity and is fiercely loyal to a fault.

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Broussard put more stock on Lillard’s impact on winning and leadership than Irving’s championship mettle as the second fiddle. “Dame’s” reliability and consistency are two more things that nudge him past Irving if their careers are ranked.

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Damian Lillard has reached his peak, while Kyrie Irving still has plenty of room to grow

"Uncle Drew" still has more room to grow to achieve greatness. [Photo: Rip City Project]

Before Chris Broussard ended his take between Kyrie Irving and Damian Lillard’s respective careers, he played the what-could-have-been game. He pointed out that, as great as “Uncle Drew” has been in his career, he could have achieved so much more.

The first on the list that’s derailing Irving’s road to consistent greatness is his excessive off-court baggage. He’s been suspended for going AWOL before, refused to take the vaccine and undercut the Brooklyn Nets last season.

Last season, this was an issue that was brought up by most basketball analysts, including former players who have played with and against Irving. There was a feeling that if he could only focus his mind on basketball, the narrative today would have been significantly different.

However, Broussard sees hope for the former Duke standout. There’s still time for the mercurial point guard to turn things around and become the best version of himself.