The early season GOAT debate was back on National Television today as Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe went at it again for the umpteenth time. The First Take duo kept the tradition alive by jogging the morning audience’s memory on the things that make both LeBron James and Michael Jordan exceptional basketball players.
The arguments presented by the two analysts were nothing new, but Smith yelling at Sharpe to drive home his point that Jordan is the ultimate NBA GOAT will always be peak TV. The 57-year-old prefaced his argument by admitting that it is just unbelievable how LeBron James has still retained his spot as a Top 5 NBA player at almost 40 years of age.
But as soon as Sharpe wanted to interject on that point, Smith got triggered into a passionate rant on how people should stop acting like he is a LeBron James hater when he is placing the man N0. 2 all-time in the Mount Rushmore of American players. It’s just that there’s no way he in his right mind can envision prime LeBron James being a greater player than prime Michael Jordan.
“This brother [LeBron] is Mt. Rushmore, Top two all-time. He just ain’t Number One. It’s Michael Jordan,” Smith said, a little dramatically. “And he [LBJ] ain’t [number] two, and he ain’t two,” Sharpe blurted out without waiting for his turn. He tried to make a point after that, but Smith wasn’t having it today.
“I let you speak. I let you speak,” he shouted till his counterpart decided to retreat with a slight smile.
“LeBron James at his best, at his BEST, ain’t Michael Jordan at his best. Anybody knows that. You’re on drugs [to Sharpe]. Something wrong with you. I need you tested right now…You have lost your mind,” Smith concluded in a fit of passionate tirade.
He then went on to list the usual suspects to prove Jordan’s superiority: 6-0 in the NBA Finals, 10-time Scoring Champion, and Nine-time NBA All-Defensive First team. The ESPN analyst admitted that he likes what he sees from LBJ this season and the Lakers could even potentially go to the NBA Finals.
However, LeBron will never even come close to being Michael Jordan.
At this point, Sharpe finally got a chance to get a word in. He questioned Stephen A. on why he is surprised that LeBron is Top 5 in the league because he has always been that since his entry into the NBA.
Sharpe’s pointer indicated LBJ’s durability in the world’s toughest league for such a prolonged period. But the host of the show, Molly Qerim, had to pull the curtains on the debate to move on to the next one.
The debate didn’t bring anything new to the table for NBA fans. But it was refreshing to once again go back to what has been the NBA’s comfort place for decades.