Stephen A. Smith's GOAT claim over LeBron James and Michael Jordan sparks debate
ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith believes the 'greatest of all time' debate between Michael Jordan and LeBron James has come to an end, especially after the Los Angeles Lakers star made more history
Stephen A. Smith believes it is time to shut down any "greatest of all time" debates between Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
On Tuesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans, James eclipsed the 50,000-point marker, becoming the first player in NBA history to do so. James' total includes both the regular season and playoffs and it is the second time in as many seasons that the Los Angeles Lakers star broke yet another scoring record.
Last season, James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's points mark, surpassing the Lakers great's 44,149 all-time points. Considering how great James has been for an extended period, Smith, the ESPN pundit, believes it is time to put any GOAT debates to bed after all he's seen from the 40-year-old.
"The greatness that he has put on display for as long as he has put on display - I'll even go a step further knowing how I feel about Jordan and I think anybody that knows basketball agrees with me," Smith began on 'First Take.' "I actually think it's time to not even have the debate anymore.
"Because that's how great LeBron James has been for as long as he has been that great. I can stand down and acknowledge that because this is absolutely phenomenal, but it's not the 50,000 points. It's not even the way he's looked last night."
Smith also added: "You can't ignore somebody that's continuously great for 22 years; Jordan only played 15 now. The reason why I will come to the defense of Jordan is because at Jordan's best ... I've never seen anybody better and that includes LeBron."
Jordan vs. James: The Numbers
It is important to note that while Jordan and James often are pitted against one another, the two played in vastly different eras of NBA basketball. Jordan played in an era that did not have modern recovery techniques or advancements in medicine, a time when the term "load management" did not exist.
For James, he has been the beneficiary of the aforementioned, which further helped extend his career and his effectiveness. Still, what Jordan did in his 15 years in the league playing for both the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards is nothing short of impressive.
In 1,072 regular-season games, Jordan scored 32,292 points, good for fifth all-time behind James, Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant, respectively. Of note, the former Bulls star played the fewest amount of games and minutes among those in the top-5, showing his propensity to score in bunches.
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Regarding both playoffs and regular season, Jordan amassed 38,279 points from 1251 games, averaging 33.4 points in the postseason for a total of 5,987 points. The Lakers star's field goal percentage is higher than Jordan's (.507 vs. .497) and his 3-point (.350 vs. .327) percentage is higher in comparison, but the Bulls legend was better from the free throw line (.736 vs. .835).
In the end, the debate regarding Jordan and James will appear to go on in perpetuity, especially if Jordan had the luxury of playing with modern medicine and new recovery techniques. But if Smith is asked, the GOAT conversation between the two is being put to bed seemingly with each passing game James plays and with each milestone he breaks.