• Stephen A. Smith says LeBron James is the most valuable player in all four major sports in the US

• LeBron James is the face of the NBA and helped it become a global brand throughout his career

• James joked about playing in Saudi Arabia after hearing about soccer star Kylian Mbappe's potential one-year $776 million offer

LeBron James is 38 years old but remains one of the best players in the NBA. Apart from being a phenomenal player, James is a global icon.

Keeping that in mind, NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith recently hailed LeBron James as the most valuable player in the four major North American sports leagues, i.e., the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL.

"I think it's LeBron James," Smith said on a recent episode of ESPN's First Take. "LeBron James is a global, iconic brand, as well as the NBA being a global, iconic brand. And I think when you think about LeBron James, it’s not just his greatness as a basketball player, it’s also the conscientious observer that he is. There’s no indifference when it comes to him. You love him, or you can’t stand him."

Smith added: "There are people who can't stand him and then people like me, you Harry, and many others, who love and appreciate what he brings to the world of sports and what have you."

LeBron James remains one of the most hated players in the NBA right now. But at the same time, he has an immense fan following as well, which arguably surpasses the number of haters he has.

On top of that, even at 38 years old, James remains the face of the NBA. He has maintained a great image over the course of his career, and the league may never find a better face than him.

However, James recently joked about wanting to play in Saudi Arabia. The King mentioned it after finding out about soccer star Kylian Mbappe's one-year $776 million salary offer. It's more than James' entire career earnings of $531 million.

Stephen A. Smith's Furious Reaction To LeBron James' Snub From The Top 25 NBA Players

LeBron James averaged 28.9 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 6.8 APG in the 2022-23 season. He also helped the Los Angeles Lakers reach the 2023 Western Conference Finals.

Although the Lakers were swept by the Denver Nuggets, reaching the conference finals at 38 years old is still an impressive feat. Smith was understandably upset with The Ringer putting James at No. 12 on their list of top 25 NBA players for the 2023-24 season.

Smith claimed any list that doesn't features James in the top five is automatically not worth paying attention to. Well, most will agree with Smith's assessment, as James remains a phenomenal player even during the twilight years of his career.

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