LeBron James has firmly cemented his status as one of the two greatest players in NBA history. The status of the ultimate greatest will likely never truly belong to him, as many fans and critics continue holding Michael Jordan in regard as the GOAT. LeBron knows he’s been chasing Jordan, so it must sting him when major voices in the game continue discrediting him to prop up Jordan.
Stephen A. Smith is firmly in the Jordan over LeBron camp. The ESPN analyst broke down on his show why he thinks he will always have beef with LeBron over the GOAT debate because he refuses to acknowledge James as the GOAT.
“We don’t get along. There’s a multitude of reasons why, I’ve alluded to some of them. But we know what the biggest reason is. I aint Shannon Sharpe, it ain’t GOAT status this way. Michael Jordan is my GOAT… He ain’t my GOAT. I watched the game, I’m a student of the game, I know a GOAT when I see one.”
Stephen A. Smith on why he and LeBron don’t get along:
“I aint Shannon Sharpe, it ain’t GOAT status this way. Michael Jordan is my GOAT… I know a GOAT when I see one.”
(via @stephenasmith, h/t @Thetruth8240)pic.twitter.com/naPkL1h8F0
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) March 19, 2025
Smith also discussed his recent public spat with LeBron over his treatment of Bronny James.
“I don’t run and hide. If I’m wrong, I’ll say I’m wrong. If I’m right, I’m right. I was never sh***ing on Bronny James. I would never do that to the James family. I was talking about one person alone. We may never speak in life again, but I’m fine with it. I get paid to talk about folks, not talk with them.”
Smith has drawn a line in the sand with LeBron, firmly placing himself in opposition to James. Media members and players can often have adversarial relationships, so it isn’t surprising to see the most popular NBA media personality be aligned so firmly against the most popular active NBA athlete.
This Is Why LeBron James Criticized How ‘The Face Of The NBA’ Is Criticized
The media and their takes on LeBron are constantly reinforcing the take made by the Los Angeles Lakers superstar about why young stars like Anthony Edwards are shying away from accepting being the ‘Face of the NBA.’
“It ain’t about ‘face of the game’ and it ain’t about one person or one show, it’s about the culture of basketball, the most beautiful game in the world,” wrote James on X. “Our game has never been better. Incredible young stars from all over the world and some older ones. Steph Curry should be all we are talking about today. Let’s discuss how great OKC and the Cavs have been this season with 2 completely different styles and break down why and how they have. Of course, if players don’t perform we need to discuss that too and break that down.”
Given how James has been treated in the media for most of his career, it’s not surprising to see him hold this opinion. Careers have been built solely by being public critics of LeBron, so he’ll always be naturally distrustful of media voices and understand why young NBA stars have been feeling the same way.
Constantly comparing a modern player’s accomplishments to Michael Jordan doesn’t give them room to succeed. It happened with LeBron, as his absolutely insane career compared to his peers is often minimized for the simple reason his peak wasn’t as dominant as Jordan’s.
You can fall in either camp and it’s fine, but this debate is the reason why players are trying to focus on basketball instead of titles like ‘Face of the NBA,’ because the additional headaches are simply not worth it in the modern era.
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