Stephen A. Smith has maintained for years that Michael Jordan is the greatest player of all time, not LeBron James. If James were to win a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers this season, though, Smith admitted on First Take that his argument for Jordan wouldn’t be all that strong anymore.
“I have said this on record on countless occasions that Michael Jordan is the greatest player of all time. I don’t give a damn what anybody says, he is the absolute greatest. But I have to confess, if LeBron James beats Denver and marches forward to ultimately win another chip, I don’t know how strong my argument is going to be on behalf of Jordan moving forward.”
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What makes this comment quite interesting is what the outspoken analyst had said last year. Smith had stated that Jordan would be the GOAT even if LeBron tied him in rings.
Well, James would still be one short of Jordan in terms of championships if he wins this year. So, I am not exactly sure why Smith has changed his tune in a few months, but I can’t say I am surprised by it. He has shown over the years that he can be a prisoner of the moment every now and then.
As for whether a championship this season would make LeBron the GOAT, I think you could make a great case for him. James currently has four titles, four Finals MVPs, four MVPs, a scoring title, and an assists title to his name. He is also the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and it’s unlikely anyone is ever going to surpass him.
Add another championship and potentially a Finals MVP to that resume, and it starts looking ever so impressive. It still wouldn’t be enough for James to be regarded as the greatest for some, though.
The fact that he still would be one short of Jordan, who won six titles, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, and 10 scoring titles, would be the strongest argument against James. Also, the fact that LeBron lost in the Finals while Jordan never did is viewed as a knock against him. The 39-year-old might have to accomplish a fair bit more for his critics to change their minds.
Can The Lakers Win It All In 2024?
All of what Smith said there depends, of course, on James and the Lakers winning the championship this year. Can I see that happening? I suppose you never say never in sports, but I think it is highly unlikely that the Lakers win it all in 2024.
LeBron claimed he feels better entering these playoffs than last year’s when LA made it to the Western Conference Finals. While I do believe the Lakers are better now than they were a year ago, I don’t see them making a deep playoff run this time around.
I think the Denver Nuggets will eliminate them from the playoffs in the first round, as they did in the Conference Finals last year. The Nuggets have won the last eight meetings between these teams and I don’t see how the Lakers beat them four times in the span of a couple of weeks.
I think it will be a close series, but the defending champions should prevail eventually. If the Lakers do beat the Nuggets, I would give them a good chance at winning it all, but it is hard to see how they pull that off.
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