LeBron James led from the front for the Los Angeles Lakers in their first-round playoff skirmish against the Houston Rockets. His solid efforts on both ends of the floor saw the Purple and Gold win the series 4-2 and punch a second-round clash against the OKC Thunder.
With his recent exploits, the GOAT conversation has begun again. And making his stance clear on who his greatest of all time choice is, was Stephen A. Smith. The analyst minced no words in his latest take on the GOAT between James and Michael Jordan.
Stephen A. Smith Still Picked Michael Jordan As His GOAT Over LeBron James
Speaking on ESPN’s ‘First Take‘, Smith addressed whether his GOAT choice would change if James and the Lakers could beat the defending champions, the Thunder, in the next round.
“You’ll never convince me that LeBron is the GOAT over Michael Jordan,” Smith said. Still, he had lavish praise for the four-time NBA champion. Focusing on James’ incredible fitness levels, Smith called him “phenomenal”.
“Somebody needs to explain why this dude, at age 41, is still in better shape than 95% of the league. All of whom happen to be younger than him. You got some cats in their 20s that ain’t in the shape that LeBron James is.”
As for his justification for always picking Jordan as his GOAT, Smith weighed in on their approach to the game, which made him hold firm in his choice of the Chicago Bulls legend. “I have two eyes. I know what I saw watching Michael Jordan. I know what I’ve seen watching LeBron James. LeBron will sit up there and beat you. Jordan snatched your heart. He made you not want to show up,” Smith said. “It was just different levels to this.”
“I know what the hell I saw. And so for me, there’s nothing that’s going to change this conversation,” Smith added. “I’m not moving.”
On the season front, the Lakers entered the playoffs without the services of their backcourt duo, Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. The onus was on James to deliver, and the veteran forward did just that, bringing in his experience and A-Game to the fore as the Lakers went on a 3-0 run against a young and dynamic Rockets side that came in as favorites.
James averaged 23.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game in his six games against Houston. Now, he will have to put up similar numbers or more when they take on a stern Thunder unit led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. OKC has had the better of their opponents in the regular season, and once again are the favorites to send Los Angeles packing.
The Lakers have Reaves back in the fold. James must now stun the Thunder to take his team to the Conference Finals. Either way, Smith has made it abundantly clear that his GOAT choice remains unchanged.
