The ever-outspoken media personality and former NBA beat writer Stephen A. Smith, the face of ESPN’s hugely successful “First Take,” has made no secret of his continuing feud with one of the NBA’s all-time greats, LeBron James. It takes a brave man to speak out against James or his powerful agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, but he is definitely unafraid of any smoke.
In this instance, Smith sheds further light on the feud between him and James. It actually involves the Greatest Of All Time (G.O.A.T.) debate that still rages in NBA circles between James and the iconic Michael Jordan. According to Smith, James is “Insulted” by being widely viewed as a runner-up to Jordan in many people’s eyes, including Smith’s.
Smith took to his radio platform to reveal a heated conversation he had with James’ agent.
Stephen A. Smith Reveals Private Conversation With LeBron James’ Agent Rich Paul Regarding GOAT Debate
Jordan’s impact on basketball and society at large is immeasurable. Beyond being the face of winning due to his five MVPs, six rings, and as many finals MVPs, plus 10 scoring championships, he became a major icon in popular culture, whether on the big screen or in his own shoe brand, immortalized by his popular Nike Jordan shoe to this day.
His overall cultural and basketball impact is likely unmatched on and off the court, but James is not happy to be runner-up in that debate, according to Smith. James, the all-time points scorer in NBA history and only player to ever play 23 seasons, not to mention at a high level, is “insulted” by it, reveals Smith on his show.
On his self-titled SiriusXM show, Smith shares his views on the G.O.A.T. debate, noting what he sees as increased sensitivity among NBA fans. He points out that over 5,400 players have participated in the NBA’s 75-year history. Being runner-up is hardly an insult: “I have LeBron James as number 2 all-time, and that man (James) walks around like it’s insulting. And many of y’all have allowed it.”
Smith also revealed a private conversation he had with James’ agent, Rich Paul, some years ago, revealing James’ true feelings on the debate. Smith describes the interaction with the superagent: “I’m joking around with him, acting up, ‘y’all act like number 2 all time is an insult.’” Smith recalls the seriousness of Paul’s response: “Serious as a heart attack, ‘it is an insult.’ The hell are you talking about? Ladies and gentlemen, that’s the real reason that stuff went down between me and LeBron, I’m just gonna keep it a buck with my audience.”
When discussing a quote from James in which the star feels he is often unfavorably compared to Jordan, Smith makes a fair point: comparisons are far from unusual. He then listed a long roster of the greatest NBA players of all-time. “Dr. J” (Julius Erving) didn’t get compared to anybody? Larry Bird and Magic Johnson didn’t get compared to anybody? Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, and Bill Russell didn’t get compared to one another?” Tell me one level of competition where comparisons don’t come into play,” he proclaimed. He went on to list superstars across all sports and their historic comparisons to further strengthen his argument.
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He claims only James and this current generation are unhappy that, at worst, he’s guaranteed to be on the Mount Rushmore of Basketball despite that long list of historic names. Smith makes a compelling point regarding the reality of historical sports comparisons. James’ sensitivity to the GOAT debate will only continue to polarize NBA fans and pundits moving forward.
