LeBron James has been under fire after the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from play-in contention earlier this week. The 4x NBA champion entered this season hoping to lead his squad to the championship after they added Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, and more veterans to the mix.
That experiment didn’t work, as the Lakers underperformed all season long, making it impossible for LeBron to lead them to the playoffs, let alone win the NBA championship. They could save something from their season if they made it to the playoffs, but the San Antonio Spurs thought otherwise.
Following their elimination from play-in contention, everybody has had something to say, including Stephen A. Smith, who doesn’t think LeBron should be considered a GOAT candidate. During a recent edition of ESPN’s First Take, the controversial analyst made a case against No. 6.
“This is the worst season of LeBron James’ career cause I’m not talking about his numbers, and I’m not talking about what he did as a player,” Smith said, via Sam Leweck of Lakers Daily. “I’m talking about what he’s a part of. The G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) conversation is officially over. It was never there for me. It was always Michael Jordan first, LeBron second. But if ever there was any doubt, this cemented the fact that LeBron James cannot be considered the G.O.A.T. That conversation is over. And you know why it’s over? Because LeBron James was on the Lakers averaging 29, 30 points a game — it still happened.”
After this tumultuous season, many people have criticized LeBron and the Lakers. They have a lot of work to do ahead of next season. The Purple and Gold could go all the way this campaign, but things didn’t play in their favor. The LeBron James-Russell Westbrook fit was never good and many folks warned the Lakers about that. Now it’s time to finish the season with a couple of wins and see what they can do in the offseason.
