LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers once again found himself embroiled in controversy on Wednesday after stating that Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks could have scored 250 points on NBA opponents in the 1970s.
This statement started a much bigger conversation about the past, present, and James’ place in league history.
Speaking on ESPN, Stephen A. Smith jumped on James’ words and offered his opinion about why the Lakers star isn’t the greatest player of all time.
He said icons like Michael Jordan would have stopped James as he ascended through the ranks of the league.
In other words, he wouldn’t be the star he is today if he played back then, and that says a lot to Smith.
“Nobody was gonna impede Kobe. Nobody was gonna impede MJ. Nobody was gonna impede Duncan … But him? I believe he would’ve been impeded—which is why I have Jordan,” Smith said, per NBACentral.
Stephen A. says LeBron isn’t the GOAT because he let others get in his way
“Nobody was gonna impede Kobe. Nobody was gonna impede MJ. Nobody was gonna impede Duncan … But him? I believe he would’ve been impeded—which is why I have Jordan”
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 26, 2025
Smith continued to speak about previous NBA eras and how much the league and its players have changed over the years.
Like many basketball fans, he feels that today’s players are radically different from those who came before, although much is owed to the men who used to populate the league in the 70s.
Debates about James and his status in league history aren’t anything new, and they will not go away soon.
It seems that analysts and writers love to compare and contrast James to others in the past.
That usually fires James up, and recent history has proven that he has no problem addressing Smith personally.
Is another face-to-face confrontation on the horizon?
