Stephen A. Smith: The thing we have to understand—and what’s important about this conversation—is that when we debate the GOAT, the negativity of it comes from LeBron and his camp. Nobody else. When we say he’s number two all-time, we’re appreciating the fact that—of the thousands upon thousands of players that have played in the NBA since 1950… 1947, 1950, rather… okay—LeBron James, there’s only one player we look at and say definitively we think was better: and that was Michael Jordan. What did I say to Rich Paul one day? ‘You act like that’s an insult.’ Rich Paul’s response: ‘It is an insult.’ Because that is how they have acted when it comes to the GOAT conversation. -via YouTube / May 23, 2025
