Stephen A. Smith: LeBron Should Willingly Accept No. 2 Behind Michael Jordan

Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith on the ESPN First Take set at the CFP Fan Central at the George World Congress Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

LeBron James seemed to defend himself in the G.O.A.T debate earlier this week on his Mind The Game podcast with Steve Nash. Many feel NBA legend Michael Jordan holds the edge over James in the greatest player debate. Without speaking directly on the discussion, James hinted players shouldn’t be judged solely on titles.

That caused ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith to respond Wednesday on First Take. He said James was looking for sympathy from critics who harp on his lack of rings. Jordan has six titles to James’ four.

“Who’s devalued LeBron,” Smith said. “That’s the BS that we have to stop letting him and his camp get away with. When we talk about the GOAT, because he’s not in a lot of people’s eyes, it’s Michael Jordan. That’s it.”

Smith said James is rarely criticized for his ability. The only knock is many think Jordan was the better player.

“Everybody recognizes him as a four-time champion,” Smith said of James. “Everybody universally recognizes him as one of the top three players in the history of basketball. What the hell else do you want? A diaper and a bib? What do you want? Do you want us to feed you some applesauce? What more can you do? He’s not the GOAT. He’s No. 2 or No. 3 if you want to put Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s resume in there.”