Sports analyst Stephen A. Smith recently addressed the ongoing GOAT (Greatest of All Time) debate in the NBA. He pointed out that most negativity around the discussion originates from LeBron James and his camp, not from other players or fans.
Smith emphasized that naming LeBron as the second-best player in NBA history is actually a compliment.
“When we say he’s number two all-time, we’re appreciating the fact that—of the thousands upon thousands of players that have played in the NBA since 1950… LeBron James, there’s only one player we look at and say definitively we think was better: and that was Michael Jordan,” Smith explained on ESPN’s First Take, via HoopsHype.
In a conversation with Rich Paul, LeBron’s longtime agent, Smith revealed that he tried to make the point that being second to Jordan isn’t an insult.
Paul, however, felt otherwise. “You act like that’s an insult,” Smith said to Paul. The response was clear: “It is an insult.” Smith suggested this mindset is why LeBron’s camp often reacts negatively to the GOAT discussion.
