Cam Newton doesn’t want to hear your LeBron James comparisons, but he won’t be able to escape them if he fails to beat Peyton Manning in Super Bowl 50.

During Super Bowl Opening Night -- the NFL’s latest attempt to shove its product down your throat -- Newton was asked if he was “the LeBron James of the NFL.” His answer let you know everything you needed to know about his confidence.

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The answer to his question has to do with the fact that James jumped onto the sports scene when Newton was still in high school, but that’s besides the point. James wasn’t exactly in the mood to entertain the narrative any further.

When asked if he was the Newton of the NBA, he sharply replied, per ESPN: “I’m the LeBron of the NBA.”

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Four MVPs, two NBA championships and two Finals MVPs will allow you to stake that claim. Newton -- who will feature in just his first Super Bowl -- has a tall mountain to climb before reaching that pinnacle.

But even if he loses to Manning and the Broncos on Sunday, he’ll be well on his way.

Lest we forget, it was an up-and-coming James that fell short at the 2007 NBA Finals to an aging Tim Duncan and the Spurs. A similar result on Sunday will only lend authenticity to the James-Newton comparison.

If Newton really wants to claim his own identity in the greater sports culture, he’ll need a victory on Sunday first.

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