MJ vs LeBron: Stephen A. Smith Explains Why LeBron Can’t Be No. 1?

The GOAT debate continues! 🏀 In this explosive segment, Stephen A. Smith breaks down why LeBron James can’t be ranked No. 1 over Michael Jordan.

Is LeBron truly the second-greatest player in NBA history? Or can he ever surpass Jordan as the GOAT? Watch this intense Jordan vs LeBron James debate and let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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It’s it’s it’s it’s so insulting. I mean, LeBron could hardly look at me at Rich Paul and and Maverick and everybody losing their damn mind. Number two all time in the history of basketball. And that’s an insult. I’m simply saying his youth. You didn’t know about basketball. You wouldn’t know about basketball if it wasn’t for Michael Jordan. The hell are you talking about? So, let’s see. You can talk all that junk all you want to, but there’s levels to this. The Jordan versus LeBron debate never dies. It doesn’t matter how many games LeBron wins, how many milestones he reaches, or how many headlines he generates. There will always be people ready to stack him against the standard Michael Jordan set. And when Steven A. Smith takes the microphone, the debate doesn’t just simmer, it explodes. His delivery is unfiltered, his perspective uncompromising. To him, there’s Jordan and then there’s everyone else. Not because LeBron isn’t great, but because the bar Jordan created is so absurdly high, it makes every other comparison sound like an insult. Tonight, we go through Stephen A’s breakdown step by step, showing why, in his view, no one competes with Jordan. Steven A begins by laying out the undeniable resume of LeBron James, four championships, four league MVPs, and countless other accolades. That isn’t just good, it’s historic. The problem, however, is that when you put those numbers beside Jordan, the comparison doesn’t quite measure up. Jordan’s six championships, his five MVPs, his undefeated finals record. Those achievements create a mountain that even LeBron’s brilliance can’t fully scale. Steven A highlights this not to dismiss LeBron, but to show how enormous Jordan’s shadow remains. Four titles would be enough to crown almost anyone else as the greatest. But in the house Jordan built, it only makes you a guest. LeBron’s greatness lies in his versatility. He’s dominated across two decades, carrying different franchises, adapting his game with age, and still remaining relevant at 39. But Steven A’s point is that dominance measured over time isn’t the same as dominance defined by perfection. Jordan didn’t just win. He crushed any notion of defeat at the highest stage. LeBron’s losses in the finals, especially in series where he was favored, create the contrast. This isn’t about diminishing LeBron’s four championships. It’s about understanding that in Steven A’s eyes, those four shine brightly but dim next to Jordan 6. And when you’re talking GOAT status, the conversation isn’t about being great. It’s about being untouchable. I mean, this dude is a guy that is a four-time champion, a four-time league MVP. What really sets Steven A off is the idea that ranking LeBron as second best of all time is somehow seen as disrespectful. Think about it. Out of every player in the history of basketball, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul Jabber, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, LeBron is slotted at number two. And people still act like he’s being slighted. To Steven A. That reaction speaks to a generational shift in how we perceive respect. Being number two all time should be celebrated, not treated as an insult. But the very fact that people consider it insulting shows how desperate they are to place LeBron at the top. Steven A sees this as misguided. His passion comes from reminding people that calling LeBron number two doesn’t belittle him, it honors him. The problem is that in a world obsessed with crowning a new king, anything less than number one feels like failure. But the truth is, Jordan so thoroughly dominated his era that number one isn’t up for grabs. LeBron being number two is not disrespect. It’s recognition of his incredible career. What’s disrespectful in Steven A’s eyes is pretending that Jordan’s throne is even available. That throne isn’t vacant. It was claimed in the ‘9s and sealed in history. It’s it’s it’s it’s so insulting. I mean, LeBron could hardly look at me at Rich Paul and and Maverick and everybody losing their damn mind. I’m number two all time in the history of basketball. And that’s an insult. Steven A then moves into one of the most powerful comparisons. Jordan never allowed a final series to reach a game seven. Not once. Every time the biggest stage came calling, Jordan ended it before his opponents had a chance to believe. That detail matters to Stephen A because it speaks to a level of dominance that goes beyond numbers. It’s not just that Jordan won six times, it’s that he did it with authority, closing out series decisively. LeBron’s finals record tells a different story. He’s had miraculous comebacks like 2016 against Golden State, but he’s also had crushing defeats, including the 2011 collapse against Dallas. Those ups and downs shape his narrative in a way Jordan never allowed. For Steven A, this is the heart of the debate. Jordan’s greatness wasn’t about surviving. It was about eliminating all doubt. LeBron has survived and thrived, but he’s also stumbled. And those stumbles linger when you’re measuring him against perfection. Jordan didn’t just win, he erased any possibility of failure. That’s why to Stephen A. No one competes with Jordan experiences. Tim Lake, correct me if I’m wrong, Jordan never even allowed the series to get to a game seven. He never allowed it to get that close. When you talk about the greatness of LeBron James, there have been times where we’ve debated. At this point, Steven A widens his scope. He doesn’t just push back against LeBron’s claim. He rejects the idea of bringing up younger players like Giannis into the same conversation. For him, even suggesting that someone in their 20s still climbing the ladder belongs in the GOAT debate is laughable. It’s not a knock on Giannis or on the new wave of stars. It’s about understanding the hierarchy of greatness. Jordan isn’t just above today’s stars statistically. He’s untouchable in terms of reverence. Steven A is making a cultural point here. Too often, fans rush to crown the next big thing, eager to declare that the old guard has been surpassed. But true greatness isn’t defined in a few seasons. It’s built over decades, tested by rivalries, and sealed by moments that live forever. Giannis may become an all-time great, but to bring him into the Jordan LeBron conversation right now is premature. And to Steven A, it also cheapens Jordan’s status. The man who defined an era, who rewrote what dominance meant cannot be grouped with players who are still wet behind the ears. That kind of comparison not only disrespects Jordan, but misunderstands the levels of greatness itself. That Michael Jordan, don’t come to me about goat James and giving me some youngster is great as Giannis is. Young whipper snapper wet behind the ears, breath smelling like similac. Steven A. Smith raises a powerful contrast when comparing Michael Jordan’s era to others. Respect versus fear. Many great players command respect. They earn accolades, titles, and recognition. But fear, that’s an entirely different atmosphere. With Jordan, it wasn’t just that opponents respected his skill. They genuinely feared stepping onto the court with him. Even players like Kobe Bryant or Kevin Durant, incredible in their own right, never generated the same universal intimidation Jordan did. When Jordan was on the floor, the outcome was often a foregone conclusion. Everybody knew he was the alpha, the final word in basketball dominance. The league bent around his presence, creating an environment where other stars seemed smaller, their greatness reduced simply by existing in Jordan’s shadow. That reverence wasn’t conditional on who his opponent was or what stage the game was in. It was constant. That kind of aura is why Jordan is always discussed as the standard because no one else inspired both admiration and dread at the same time. LeBron, as great as he is, has never controlled the room in that way. He has been respected, even celebrated, but not feared to the same extent. And that is a separation that cannot be measured by statistics alone. Well, is KD on that level? You know, Kobe back in the day, was he on that level? God rest his soul, others as well. But when Michael Jordan was playing, you know, this was it not Michael Jordan and everybody else? Did everybody not know it was Michael Jordan and everybody else? This not a difference between respect and reverence as opposed to fear? Yes, it is. Another point Steven A makes is about competition and context. Critics often say LeBron faced super teams in his finals battles. Squads stacked with multiple Hall of Famers like Golden State with Durant, Curry, and Clay. The suggestion is that Jordan didn’t face the same level of competition. But that argument misses the truth. Jordan didn’t just conquer weak opponents. He destroyed dynasties. The Detroit Pistons were champions, legendary for their physical play. The Boston Celtics were stacked with Hall of Famers. The Knicks were a brutal force in the East. And when he reached the finals, it didn’t matter who stood in his way. He never let a series get to game seven. The claim that Jordan never faced teams like modern super teams isn’t a weakness in his case. It’s a testament to his dominance. He was the super team. His presence elevated the Bulls beyond anyone else’s reach. And while LeBron deserves credit for overcoming incredible odds, Jordan didn’t need that narrative. He didn’t let Final Series drag on didn’t allow doubt to creep in. He ended things decisively. The fact we speculate whether he could have beaten modern super teams is meaningless. His perfection on the stage that mattered most has already answered the question. Not a sixtime champion, a four-time champion. You talk about teams that LeBron is going against. If KD with Steph and Clay, Jordan never went with against anybody like that. Guess what, Shannon? We wouldn’t know. Stephen A highlights a recurring problem in the debate, the generational gap. Younger fans often raised during LeBron’s prime try to elevate him to the go a conversation too quickly. He uses the example of Giannis, an incredible talent with limitless potential, but calls him wet behind the ears. That’s the broader theme. Too often, people crown greatness prematurely. Michael Jordan didn’t just show flashes of brilliance. He sustained dominance for over a decade. He didn’t just win championships. He perfected the art of winning with six titles and six attempts, six finals MVPs, and a reputation untouched by finals failure. That kind of track record creates a bar so high that it isn’t fair to shortcut the conversation. Giannis, as Smith points out, is still young and developing. Just like LeBron once was before his eventual rise, but to compare that early stage to the complete dominance Jordan displayed is misleading. And this extends to LeBron as well. For all his incredible accomplishments, there’s still a gap between longevity and supremacy. Jordan’s supremacy was undeniable. LeBron’s longevity is unmatched, but supremacy is what defines the goat conversation. For that reason, Smith emphasizes that no one competes with Jordan because the fear, dominance, and absolute winning culture he built still separate him from every player that has followed that Michael Jordan. Don’t come to me about goat James and giving me some youngster as great as Giannis is. Oh, young whipper snapper wet behind the ears, breath smelling like simileac. Steven A takes the debate back to the numbers. And with Jordan, the resume almost silences any argument. We’re not just talking about six championships, though that alone places him in the rarest air. It’s the complete picture. 10 scoring titles showing he was the offensive engine of the league for a decade. Nine alldefensive first team selections, proving he dominated both ends of the floor. Something even LeBron’s biggest supporters admit he hasn’t consistently matched. five finals MVPs, meaning that in nearly every championship moment, Jordan wasn’t just participating, he was dictating the outcome. And then there’s the durability factor. Playing 80 to 82 games a year in an era that was far more physical with fewer luxuries in recovery, travel, and sports science than players enjoy today. That consistency separated Jordan from his peers. He wasn’t just great when conditions were perfect. He was great when conditions were brutal. His commitment to excellence on both offense and defense, sustained year after year, makes his career achievements almost mythic. LeBron’s resume is incredible, no doubt. But Steven A is pointing out that when you line it up next to Jordan’s, the weight of MJ’s dominance is just heavier. It’s not just what he did, it’s how completely he owned the league while doing it. I’m talking about a n was it nine 10 time scoring champion, ninetime all NBA defensive. Steven A uses the idea of someone from Greece debating LeBron versus Jordan to drive home a larger point about generational memory. Fans who didn’t live through Jordan’s era can underestimate his dominance because they only know it through highlights or secondhand stories. But the reality is Jordan’s reign was so complete that it transcended borders and time zones. He was a global icon when basketball was still struggling to become a worldwide game. For someone overseas to argue LeBron is better while never having witnessed Jordan in real time. Smith argues misses the essence of greatness. It’s not just about the numbers. It’s about the feeling of inevitability Jordan carried into every game, every playoff, every finals. You can’t fully understand that if you weren’t there to see it unfold. And that’s part of what frustrates Smith and others when these debates flare up. They’re not denying LeBron’s greatness. They’re reminding everyone that the standard was set by someone who didn’t just play the game, but reshaped the culture of it entirely. To try and rewrite history without living through it is, in Smith’s words, a kind of insult to what Jordan actually achieved. Being a five-time NBA Finals MVP, I’m sorry, playing 82 games a year. 80 to 82 games a year. And this is where Steven A doubles down. He emphasizes that the very reason basketball gained a global foothold, why kids in Greece, China, or anywhere else know the game is Michael Jordan. Before him, basketball was largely an American sport. With him, it became a worldwide obsession. His brand, his highlights, his winning, his aura, all of it expanded beyond the NBA and turned into a cultural phenomenon. People didn’t just watch Jordan, they emulated it. They bought his shoes. They copied his moves on playgrounds oceans away from Chicago. LeBron, Kobe, Durant, all of them benefited from the path Jordan paved. So when fans from overseas argue about the GOAT conversation, Steven A points out the irony. The only reason they even know the sport well enough to have the debate is because Jordan globalized it. That’s not to diminish LeBron’s contributions because he has also had a huge cultural footprint. But the origin story of basketball’s global dominance starts with Jordan. And that’s a factor you can’t measure in stats or finals records. It’s something only the truly transformative athletes achieve. Jordan wasn’t just the best player. He was the reason the world cared about basketball at all. living in Greece talking to me about how LeBron James is better than a dude that was balling before he was born. Stephen A. Smith makes a crucial distinction here. There are levels to greatness. It’s not enough to just tally up statistics, championships, or highlight reels. Basketball greatness is layered, and Jordan occupies a level that no one else has reached. When Smith says younger fans wouldn’t even know about basketball if it weren’t for Jordan, he’s hammering the point that Jordan didn’t just dominate the game. He defined it. Before Jordan, the NBA wasn’t the cultural juggernaut it is today. It had legends like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, but the sport hadn’t yet become the global spectacle. Jordan was the tipping point. He brought basketball to the world stage. And in doing so, he created a bar of excellence that every player after him has been measured against. And this is where the word levels matters. LeBron James is phenomenal, and by many standards, he has surpassed what anyone thought was possible for longevity, consistency, and all-around versatility. But when you measure him against Jordan, you’re not just comparing numbers. You’re comparing atmospheres. Jordan created fear. Jordan created inevitability. Jordan created moments that felt bigger than basketball itself. To compare LeBron’s career is to admire greatness within the framework Jordan already built. Steven A emphasizes youth because younger generations who never witnessed Jordan in real time often minimize this context. They see LeBron’s achievements and naturally elevate him. But without Jordan, the very stage LeBron performs on would not be what it is. the endorsement deals, the international tours, the marketing empires, all of these were birthed in Jordan’s era. That’s a level beyond championships or MVPs. It’s cultural dominance. When Smith says there are levels to this, he’s speaking not just about performance, but about impact. Jordan wasn’t simply the best player on the court. He was the best ambassador for the sport, the most dominant figure in competition, and the most untouchable symbol of basketball supremacy. LeBron stands on the second tier, not because he’s lacking greatness, but because Jordan’s combination of dominance and cultural transformation placed him on a plane by himself. That’s why to Smith, the debate isn’t even close. He’s the reason you knew about basketball in Greece for crying out loud. It’s because of Michael Jordan. You didn’t bring that up while you were in Greece. In his closing words, Steven A gives LeBron James his flowers. He calls him phenomenal, extraordinary, an all-time great who has earned the number two spot on the alltime list. That’s not an insult. That’s the highest praise you can give anyone in basketball outside of Jordan. But Smith immediately draws the line. LeBron will never be MJ. This isn’t an emotional argument. It’s a recognition of facts that span decades. LeBron has more career points. He has more assists. He has longevity records that Jordan could never reach because of retirement gaps. But when the game was on the line, when championships were at stake, Jordan never faltered. Six finals, six wins, six finals, M5 PS. Not one blemish on the biggest stage. That’s the separator. Smith is pointing out that in sports, legacy isn’t just about how long you lasted or how many numbers you stacked up. It’s about perfection at the highest moments. And that’s where Jordan remains untouchable. LeBron’s greatness lies in endurance. Jordan’s greatness lies in dominance. LeBron has been to 10 finals, but he’s lost six of them. Jordan went six for six. That’s not just a statistic. It’s a statement. When Jordan reached the mountain top, he never gave it back. LeBron has climbed it, but he hasn’t owned it in the same way. And that’s why Smith refuses to let anyone blur the lines. What Smith does here is settle the debate in his mind. LeBron can be celebrated without being elevated above Jordan. You can call him number two without insulting him. But you can’t crown him as the go a without rewriting the history of the sport, and that’s something Stephen A won’t allow. For him, the debate ends where it began. Jordan is number one forever. LeBron is phenomenal, but always number two. I’m simply saying his youth, you didn’t know about basketball. You wouldn’t know about basketball if it wasn’t for Michael Jordan. The hell are you talking about? So, let’s see. You can talk all that junk all you want to, but there’s levels to this. At the end of the day, Stephen A. Smith’s fiery words boil down to one central truth. No one competes with Michael Jordan. Not LeBron James, not Kobe Bryant, not Kevin Durant, not anyone who has come since. Jordan exists in a space by himself, a standard of excellence that has never been duplicated. His dominance wasn’t just statistical, it was psychological, cultural, and global. He made basketball a worldwide obsession. He turned every finals into a showcase of inevitability. He didn’t just beat opponents, he broke them. LeBron James deserves admiration. He has carried teams farther than they had any right to go. He has set records that may never fall. He has been the face of the league for two decades and has handled the pressure with class and resilience. But the truth Steven A defends is this. LeBron operates on a foundation that Jordan built. And while he has reached astonishing heights, he has never broken through the ceiling that Jordan established. So when fans argue, when debates flare, when statistics get thrown around, the answer remains the same. Jordan is the greatest of all time. Not because LeBron isn’t great, but because Jordan was and still is untouchable. And if you want more debates like this, the real raw conversations that go beyond numbers and into the heart of what makes the game legendary, then you’re in the right place. This is NBA Showdown, where basketball’s biggest debates get broken down and settled with passion. Make sure to like, subscribe, and hit that notification bell because the goat debate isn’t going anywhere. And here we’ll keep giving you the fire, the facts, and the truth.