Stephen A. Smith is not letting up on his stance about LeBron James. In a recent segment on the ‘Ball in the Family’ podcast, the ESPN analyst reaffirmed his belief that LeBron’s career accomplishments at this stage are no longer about winning titles or MVPs.
“I’m doubling down on that,” said Smith. “Who the hell doesn’t know that? You’re in your 23rd year and you’re accumulating all of these stats, but you ain’t winning another MVP and you ain’t winning another Finals. So, you’re there because you’re going to accumulate these numbers.”
LeBron has set a new standard for NBA longevity, breaking plenty of records along the way. Based on pure time alone, he ranks at or near the top of most NBA statistics. That’s why, in Stephen A.’s mind, the only way that LeBron could surpass Jordan is if he added more championships to his resume. The problem is, he doesn’t see LeBron winning another title anytime soon.
“We don’t look at the Lakers and see a championship team. You ain’t beating Oklahoma City. You ain’t beating Denver. Just understand: it doesn’t buy you GOAT status. You’re not getting that. Michael Jordan is my GOAT, without question. I’ve been saying that since the man retired and there ain’t a damn person who can change my mind.”
Finally, Smith brought up one of the most talked-about low points of LeBron’s career, the 2011 NBA Finals collapse against the Dallas Mavericks, as a key reason why the GOAT debate is already settled in his mind.
“It was the fourth quarter of four consecutive games in the NBA Finals. The greatest player in the world went four games scoring four points or less in the fourth quarter with JJ Barea and Jason Terry guarding him. There is no discussion here. Everybody has bad games, everybody has bad series. But when you’re warped mentally, now you have to take into consideration the kind of advantage you’re giving the opposition if they were against you.”
Stephen A. Smith has a long and bitter history with LeBron, which reached a peak when the Lakers star confronted him over his comments on Bronny. Ever since that viral courtside encounter, Stephen A. has been open about his animosity toward the NBA legend, and it’s no surprise that he doesn’t buy his GOAT claim, even if it’s arguably one of the strongest. To him, LeBron’s career is mostly about padded stats that have accumulated over the past decades.
Today, the “greatest of all time” debate is as old as time, and nobody can agree. As a four-time champion, four-time MVP, and the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, LeBron James has as good a case as most players can hope for. In fact, LeBron himself already believes he has achieved the status.
In the minds of his critics, however, James’ career blunders are enough to rank him behind the Bulls legend. Namely, that 2011 series against the Mavericks did the most harm to his legacy, as he averaged 17.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.8 assists in the series loss.
Compare that to Michael’s track record, who went a perfect 6-0 in the Finals, and it’s clear that LeBron’s GOAT argument is far from rock solid.
Whether you agree with Stephen A. or not, the debate over LeBron’s legacy isn’t going away anytime soon. With every passing milestone, his resume only gets stronger, but that 2011 Finals collapse remains a stain his critics won’t forget. As the conversation continues, one thing is clear: for better or worse, LeBron’s legacy is still being written.
