LeBron James’ Inner Circle Offends Stephen A. Smith as Major NBA Debate Resurfaces

LeBron James vs Michael Jordan. The never-ending debate. Even amid the ongoing Conference Finals, the GOAT discussion has somehow taken center stage once again. And it started with a controversial take by MJ’s longtime agent, David Falk, “I really like LeBron, but I think if Jordan had cherry picked what teams he wanted to be on and two other superstars, he would’ve won 15 championships.”

Yes, Falk called out LeBron for his career trajectory of playing with multiple superstars and bouncing from team to team in pursuit of titles. As expected, his comments received a ton of backlash, including a stern response from James’ agent, Rich Paul, “We can’t have revisionist history and we all wanna determine who’s the GOAT and who’s the best and so on so forth. But I just thought that was a little beneath David to say that.”

Further backing his client, Paul said, “Michael never had to leave. Michael’s never been the underdog in any finals. Not one time. Michael never had a 24-hour 365 news cycle. He never had shows built strictly to criticize him. People made millions of dollars criticizing LeBron. That was their entire job.” Turns out, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith was offended by Rich’s take and called him out on his podcast, “What the hell do you mean Rich Paul when you say Michael never had a 24-hour 365 news cycle? He never had shows built strictly to criticize him? What shows are built strictly to criticize LeBron James? See, this is the BS. This is the BS.”

Although it was not as non-stop as the current social media era, but Jordan was the most talked about athlete during his time, both by the media and fans. So, Smith highlighted that he went through similar scrutiny, while also emphasizing that no one targets LeBron 24*7 like Paul claimed, “We cover the sport. It’s a 24 hours news cycle. There are plenty of positive things that are said about LeBron James on every show. Every show! This is where the whining and moaning accusations come from, from him and his camp. What 24-hour 365 news cycle has shows built strictly to criticize him? So, in other words the shows that criticize him never ever ever give him credit, huh? Ever? Look man, I ain’t got time.” Although the analyst was clearly frustrated, he shifted focus to his guest, who had more to say about the GOAT debate.

David Falk details why Michael Jordan is the GOAT over LeBron James on Stephen A. Smith’s podcast

Following Rich’s public response to Falk’s initial comments, Stephen A. invited Jordan’s agent to his podcast to get his final word on the debate. And Falk explained in detail why he believes MJ is better than any player in NBA history, “I think what makes Michael the GOAT goes way beyond the court. I think on the court, Michael obviated the Center position. Prior to Jordan, you needed Olajuwons, the Ewings, the Kareems, the Bob Laniers and the way Michael played, he made it unnecessary to have a great Center. Look who he won the championship with. Bill Wennington, Bill Cartwright. And I think that had a huge impact on the game.”

Jun 4, 1997; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan goes to the basket past Karl Malone in game two of the 1997 NBA Finals at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Anne Ryan-USA TODAY

Yes, MJ came into the league when it was Center dominant, and won championships anyway. Sure, there were still some amazing Centers in the league, but Michael was clearly a tier above everyone else. More importantly, he sparked the era of a guard-dominant league that the viewers see today. Further highlighting Jordan’s impact, Falk said, “I think Michael individually broke down every barrier that existed for professional basketball players and in particular African American professional basketball players to become national marketing brand ambassadors. So, the whole generation of LeBrons and Kobes and Steph Currys having their own shoes and being in commercials did not exist before Michael came in the game.” Even to this day, there are no bigger sneakers than Jordans. Their significance and impact paved the way for every future athlete.

Falk continued, “I think beyond comparing statistics, who had more points, who averaged more, even who had more championships, I think Michael’s impact is extremely broad and deep in what he did to change the game. I don’t think any other player in history had that kind of an impact.” Obviously, LeBron’s impact is also massive, and many would debate even bigger than Jordan. And that’s the discussion that will go on till the end of time, and guess what? There might be no wrong answers because that’s how great both LeBron and Jordan are. Who is your GOAT?

The post LeBron James’ Inner Circle Offends Stephen A. Smith as Major NBA Debate Resurfaces appeared first on EssentiallySports.