Rich Paul Says His Take on Jordan-LeBron Debate Was 'Misconstrued'

Rich Paul wants to clear the air about his recent Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James take ... saying even though he'd want MJ to take a last shot over his bestie/top client ... the King is still 100% his G.O.A.T.

ICYMI, Paul and his "Game Over" podcast co-host Max Kellerman were talking hoop recently ... when the big-time sports agent revealed he chose His Airness to be the guy shooting the ball at the end of a game over Bron or Kobe Bryant -- saying there's "no question about it."

When we caught up with Paul out in Beverly Hills this week ... he said folks made it out to be like he was dissing LBJ in favor of MJ ... which was not the case at all.

"No, that got misconstrued," Paul said. "The internet clips it. What happened was, they asked me a question about the three players. So, I said yeah, if I'm starting a team, I'm taking LeBron at No. 1. I'm still taking LeBron at No. 1, and I would take MJ to take the last shot, but that's not saying that I'm choosing one over the other."

"We know who the best player ever is. His name is LeBron James."

Remember, Paul -- the CEO and founder of Klutch Sports Group -- has known James forever and became his agent in 2012 ... so it's no surprise where his loyalty lies.