“You act like that's an insult” – Stephen A. Smith justifies ranking LeBron James behind Michael Jordan on all-time greatest list
The debate regarding who between Michael Jordan and LeBron James is the greatest basketball player of all time has been going on for years. Stephen A. Smith has remained adamant in his conviction that “Air Jordan” owns the GOAT title ahead of “King James.”
The iconic sports show host has defended his stance even against the most avid fans of the current LA Lakers superstar. Here’s what he had to say on the Paul George podcast about his conversation with Rich Paul, one of James’ closest friends and supporters:
(1:05:47 mark)
"[James is a] Great dad, great husband, great director, great actor. I did all of that and I said, ‘Did I miss anything, did I miss anything?’ I got him as the second-best player in the history of basketball. I got him ahead of Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar].
"I got him behind no one but Jordan and I said to Mr. Chirper himself, Rich Paul, my boy, and I said, ‘You act like that's an insult.’ This dude, ‘It is an insult.’ I said, ‘Get the f**k out of my face,’ this is exactly what I said to him. I won't talk to you no more, you can't talk to me about it."
LeBron James recently dethroned Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time scoring leader. Some who were undecided on who between them is the GOAT have sided with James. Many have also switched stances from Jordan to James after the new scoring king ascended the throne.
Unlike them and probably thousands of others, Stephen A. Smith hasn’t changed his conviction regarding the said discussion.
Stephen A. Smith argued for Michael Jordan’s greatness over LeBron James
Stephen A. Smith’s contention that Michael Jordan is the GOAT has remained steadfast. In one of his shows, he argued for the Chicago Bulls legend's case:
“The obvious. You do know that MJ [Jordan] has six titles, right? LeBron [James] has four. You do know that MJ is undefeated in six finals appearances? You do know that Michael Jordan never allowed an NBA Finals series to get to a seventh game?"
Smith proceeded to point out the differences in scoring titles, All-Defensive team selections and the Defensive Player of the Year award. The ESPN sports analyst also mentioned that Jordan had never been swept in a seven-game series, something James has in his resume.
“We’re talking about what you do on both sides of the court. We’re talking about Michael Jordan, in my mind, being the greatest, but I’m not throwing any shade at LeBron James ‘cause he’s a worthy No. 2.”
Stephen A. Smith dug deep into his arguments for Jordan:
“Do you understand that during the LeBron James era, there were debates as to whether he was the best in the world because Kobe [Bryant] was still playing at one time? Tim Duncan was still playing for a large chunk of that time. And ultimately, Steph Curry has been playing for a large chunk of that time.
“Do you know that when Michael Jordan was playing, there was never a debate, ever as to who was the best in the world? … Even before Michael Jordan won a title in ‘91. From ‘88 on, it was clear that Michael Jordan was the best player in the world. … That was not the case with LeBron James!”