Stephen A. Smith was at it again as he questioned LeBron James’ supposed GOAT status in a recent appearance on the Pivot Podcast. Smith has been a staunch critic of the media for not asking the Lakers superstar the right questions when explaining things.
At the same time, he has always justified his stand with Bulls legend Michael Jordan being the greatest basketball player of all time, far ahead of anybody’s comparison in the past, present, or future era.
Smith was asked about his past criticisms and back-and-forth with James over the same question, and he didn’t hold back from ripping into the four-time NBA champion, calling him a ‘choke job.’
What Did Stephen A. Smith Say Against LeBron James?
After the hosts asked Smith to reflect on his stance over the James-Jordan discussion and him always asking the media to hold James accountable, the senior NBA analyst and famous TV personality said, “You do one thing in front of people, and you do other stuff behind the scenes. And they aren’t consistent. You don’t like me because you see me calling it how I see it.”
Smith added, “You’re not Michael Jordan; you’re not the GOAT. You did choke in an NBA finals. In four consecutive fourth quarters in an NBA Finals, this man scored four points. In one game he scored zero points in an NBA Finals fourth quarter with Jason Terry or JJ Barea guarding him. There is no explanation for that. To anybody who knows basketball, that’s a choke job.”
Smith continued by justifying that James only won the NBA titles with star teammates in his ranks, whether it was Irving-Love in Cleveland, Wade-Bosh in Miami, or Anthony Davis in Los Angeles. Furthermore, the NBA analyst made a strong claim towards Jordan being the GOAT by listing out his accomplishments in the NBA.
Smith said, “You overcame it. Major props to you. You’ve elevated yourself from the time that LeBron James won the championship against Oklahoma City. Throughout the rest of his career, you can make a legitimate case for the GOAT argument with him against Jordan. But we get to piggyback off of the previous stuff that happened prior to that.”
He added, “Michael Jordan averaged 30, 10 times in his career. Played all 82 games nine times. Nine-time All-NBA First Team defensive player. A defensive player of the year. A six-time champion. A six-time NBA Finals MVP. A five-time MVP of the league. And in your 22nd or 23rd year, you are still chasing. Now, I don’t know about the rest of y’all, but I think it’s obvious who the GOAT is.”
As James chases the milestones set by Jordan in the NBA, he is set to miss out on the start of the 2025-26 NBA season indefinitely due to a sciatic nerve issue.
