Stephen A. Smith has long maintained that Michael Jordan, not LeBron James, is the GOAT of basketball. While he typically grounds his arguments in statistics and accolades, the ESPN personality recently made a controversial claim just to prop up Jordan’s GOAT case.
Appearing on an episode of Logan Paul’s “Impaulsive” podcast, Smith went so far as to gloss over a certain period of Jordan’s NBA career, as it supposedly doesn’t count.
“There’s no way you could watch Jordan & LeBron and think Jordan is not the GOAT…We ain’t counting his two years with the Wizards…We’re talking about his 13 years in Chicago.”
When Jordan took “The Shot” in the 1998 NBA Finals, he appeared to have written the perfect fairytale ending to his NBA career. However, the six-time NBA champion decided to scratch his competitive itch when he suited up for the Washington Wizards from 2001 to 2003.
While it’s one thing to say that Jordan’s stint in Washington wasn’t a highlight of his career, it’s another to claim that those two years shouldn’t be “counted” when the GOAT arguments are weighed.
Stephen A. Smith, of course, has had somewhat of a personal rivalry against LeBron James, who infamously confronted him at a Lakers game to defend the honor of his son Bronny. Whether or not Jordan’s two seasons with the Wizards should be counted, will certainly figure in barber shop debates for years to come.
“It Was Very Disrespectful”: Stephen A. Smith Doubles Down on Criticism of LeBron James As He Recalls Courtside Confrontation
Interestingly, the March 2025 confrontation between Stephen A. Smith and LeBron James came up in that same “Impaulsive” podcast. Smith, who publicly called out James in the aftermath of that incident, doubled down on his criticism as he chatted with Paul.
“It was very disrespectful. I thought it was very unfair to me. I never did what he implied that I did. That was my issue.”
Smith has maintained that he wasn’t out of line with his Bronny-related comments. Clearly, LBJ did not see it that way, and the two remain at odds to this day.
