Every single sport has had plenty of very good athletes play it since the time it was created. However, there are a few players in each sport that separate themselves from the rest of the competition: they show that they are a cut above the rest, and are able to win at the highest level multiple times over their careers.
Michael Jordan and Tom Brady both have that status in basketball and football respectively. The two are often compared due to their winning pedigree: Jordan won 6 championships during his time in the NBA, while Tom Brady is coming off winning his 7th Superbowl with the Buccaneers. There is no doubt that both athletes are accomplished, and that they were extremely dominant in their sports.
However, there can only be one “GOAT of all Sports”, and Stephen A. Smith thinks that if he were to pick between the two, it would be Michael Jordan. When making his argument on First Take, Smith referred to the Finals/Superbowl record for both athletes. Michael Jordan was 6-0 in the Finals, while Tom Brady is 7-3 in the Superbowl. (2:00)
Last time I checked, he’s been to 10 Superbowls, he’s lost 3. This is Tom Brady, as great as he is, as phenomenal as he is, and clearly the GOAT of quarterbacks. When we talk about the GOAT in terms of all sports, I would remind you Michael Jeffrey Jordan, the greatest basketball player to have ever lived, No. 1 on Mount Rushmore. A 6-time champion, a 6-time NBA Finals MVP. Unblemished in championship competition. Has never lost a championship series. Never even allowed it to get to Game 7.
When you bring up Tom Brady and what he has done… The flipside is that he has 3 blemishes in championship competition. He lost to the Giants twice, the Philadelphia Eagles once. By the way, it was a backup quarterback that beat him in the Superbowl.
While picking between the two athletes is probably a matter of preference, it seems as though Stephen A. Smith is siding with Michael Jordan in this particular instance. Michael Jordan was definitely phenomenal in the Finals, and while Tom Brady may have more Superbowls than Michael Jordan does championships, Jordan’s 6-0 record seems to be the difference-maker for Stephen A. Smith.
