LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan: Who is the NBA GOAT?
September 2, 2023 · Club Shay Shay
Claims18
Duration10 min
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Shannon Sharpe
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Stephen A. Smith
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LeBron James is the GOAT because his sustained excellence over …Shannon's case
LeBron James is the GOAT because his sustained excellence over 21+ years, two-way dominance, and the unprecedented quality of opposition he faced (e.g., the 2017-18 Warriors super-team) make his résumé more complete than Jordan's.
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Full source transcript · 81 passages

Speaker decisions describe who is speaking. Claim reviews assess the assertions separately.

  1. Shannon SharpeSpeaker unreviewed

    Obviously, you know, you love yourself some LeBron James. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? He to go. He's

  2. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    not. Chadwick. He's not. He's He's He's not.

  3. Shannon SharpeSpeaker unreviewed

    He's a reminder. He should've hung up on

  4. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    The

  5. Shannon SharpeSpeaker unreviewed

    blasphemy coming out of your mouth right now. It's okay. You can believe that. Can believe that. The man's still going through wrong in '21. But we'll do. I'm sure. We you know what? Right.

  6. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    The first LeBron topic. Right. Don't need to be nobody. Here's what Don't need to be nobody there. Here's what's gonna hurt you. Here's what's gonna hurt you. Because you see when you're talking like that, people are like, but shit. But shit.

  7. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    I'm gonna sit back and let you talk. Mhmm. And then I'm gonna say, you finish?

  8. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    Are you you sure? No. And you're gonna be like, no. And I'm gonna say, you gotta wait now because I waited.

  9. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    Here I come. And you're have to deal with the tsunami

  10. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    that I'm gonna bring I'm gonna rain down upon you when it comes especially to that subject. And

  11. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    that's what's and that's what you're have to say. Listen, LeBron

  12. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    listen. I

  13. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    got this man.

  14. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    The game was started in 1947.

  15. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    I got LeBron James,

  16. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    the thousands of players

  17. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    that have played in the NBA. I got him number two

  18. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    all time. Yeah. Yeah. You got people walking around like that's disrespect. It is. I got a no. See see, that's emotion. It is. That's emotion right

  19. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    there. Listen, me tell you something right now. I personally believe a legitimate argument could be made that I'm sitting in front of

  20. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    the greatest tight end in the history of football. Some people bring in Gronk, Tony Gonzalez, other players, whatever. Travis Kel, of course. But

  21. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    you in the conversation, you know I'm saying? And and and you know because your brethren, I mean, they give you love and respect. Right? I can say that, but my point to you is is that

  22. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    if somebody said you weren't number one, you don't feel insulted. No. So why you got to be insulted about because

  23. Shannon SharpeSpeaker unreviewed

    emotion. No. But it's emotion.

  24. Shannon SharpeSpeaker unreviewed

    But but it go. See. That's emotion right You told me the storm was coming. Right. See, your storm happened for nine years, then took two years off. Right. And it happened for three years Yep. It took another three years off. That's right. And then it kinda just was like drizzling. Right. My thought storm been going for twenty one years raining. Right. You could say that, then my retort to that would be six NBA finals losses. So so they'll So they'll Hold on. Is the fact. It's six final losses. Yep. Six finals losses. Let me ask you question. Six. I just want you to tell me one thing. We're debate this. Sure. Tell me the team that he faced that was the 2017

  25. Shannon SharpeSpeaker unreviewed

    or the 2018

  26. Shannon SharpeSpeaker unreviewed

    Golden State Warriors.

  27. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    What do you mean? I don't understand your question. Michael Jordan. Tell me the team. You talking about Michael Jordan? I want you to tell me the team that Michael Jordan faced that was the equivalent of the '17 18. No one. Can I respond to that? Sure. Can I tell you why? No one. Do you know why?

  28. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    Because none of them had Jordan. No. That's exactly why. Okay. Let me just say it. See. See. That's the ultimate equalizer or usurper. Pick whichever one you wanna you wanna pick. Do you understand that Jordan is six and o in NBA finals? Yes. Do you understand that Jordan was MVP all six NBA finals? Yes. Do you understand that Jordan never even allowed a a final series to go seven games? I understand that. He never went seven games. I also I also

  29. Shannon SharpeSpeaker unreviewed

    know he just started going to finals because Lab Bird back with us. Excuse me. 10 time

  30. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    NBA scoring champion,

  31. Shannon SharpeSpeaker unreviewed

    nine time all defensive play on defensive first team. You do know that. Right? Yeah. Alright. So so in other words, is is LeBron on both sides of the ball? Was he that dominant? Oh, he was the dominant ball. You know he should've won it. You know he should've won. Are kidding me? Steven eight. Are you kidding me? Steven eight. I was give me this. Okay. You know good well LeBron James should have one defensive player of the year. How does how does a smart Gasol

  32. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    who's a second team all defensive player be defensive player of the year? I agree with that. I agree with that. But, the flip side to it is that as we watched LeBron James, even with his greatness at one point in time as a defensive player,

  33. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    we never looked at him and said, oh my god,

  34. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    that's that dude defensively.

  35. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    Yeah. You had you had no. LeBron is universally

  36. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    respected

  37. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    and revered.

  38. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    MJ was feared.

  39. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    You know the difference.

  40. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    You know the difference. Because there are people who have feared you. You know the difference better than me. You know the difference between reverence

  41. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    and fear.

  42. Shannon SharpeSpeaker unreviewed

    Look look. You know this. You like John Wick. I like James Bond. He's alright. Hold on. Can

  43. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    I have James Bond? Prefer

  44. Shannon SharpeSpeaker unreviewed

    James Bond. Can be John Wick. Okay. I prefer James Bond. John Wick shot him the whole place, killed everybody. Okay. James Bond killed a few people, but got the ladies. That's They do the same thing. That's right. Remember when Hallie remember when Hallie Berry was walking out the He

  45. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    said,

  46. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    magnificent view. Remember that? That's the small one. And that was where you know, that that that's that's stuff. Is stuff like Pierce Brosnan. But you know, Daniel Craig. Yeah. Of course, Sean Connery. Connery. The man. Okay? I mean, does it I'm trying to understand the versatility

  47. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    of James Bond is weird. The versatility of James Bond.

  48. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    You could say that, but To guard one through five.

  49. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    You've seen him do it. I'm not denying that. Shut down Tony Park on one end. I'm not. In the last five minutes, say I got Timmy D. I also saw him get checked when Jason Terry was guarding him in the post in his finals against Dallas.

  50. Stephen A. SmithSpeaker unreviewed

    You gonna deny that? No. Okay then. So so question. Has there ever been a time when Michael Jordan showed up in an NBA finals and you literally looked at him and said, yo,

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Claims in transcript order

Stephen A. Smith · opinion

The game was started in 1947. I got LeBron James, the thousands of players that have played in the NBA. I got him number two all time.

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Shannon Sharpe · statistical

Six NBA finals losses.

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Shannon Sharpe · factual

Your storm happened for nine years, then took two years off. And it happened for three years. It took another three years off. And then it kinda just was like drizzling. My thought storm been going for twenty one years raining.

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Shannon Sharpe · rhetorical

Tell me the team that he faced that was the 2017 or the 2018 Golden State Warriors.

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Stephen A. Smith · statistical

Do you understand that Jordan is six and o in NBA finals? Do you understand that Jordan was MVP all six NBA finals? Do you understand that Jordan never even allowed a final series to go seven games?

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Shannon Sharpe · statistical

10 time NBA scoring champion, nine time all defensive play on defensive first team.

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Shannon Sharpe · opinion

You know good well LeBron James should have won defensive player of the year. How does a smart Gasol who's a second team all defensive player be defensive player of the year?

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Stephen A. Smith · opinion

LeBron is universally respected and revered. MJ was feared. You know the difference between reverence and fear.

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Stephen A. Smith · factual

I also saw him get checked when Jason Terry was guarding him in the post in his finals against Dallas.

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Stephen A. Smith · factual

Magic Johnson in the first title. Clyde Drexler in the crew, the second title. Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson, the third. Payton, the glove, with Sean Kemp before he became Sean Kemp. And then also, you've got Karl Malone, John Stockton.

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Stephen A. Smith · opinion

You've got an NBA game that was considerably tougher at that particular moment in time than today's NBA game is in terms of physicality and what's allowed.

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Shannon Sharpe · opinion

What you and the old school guard have equated physicality with talent and skill. The guys in today's game are more skilled.

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Stephen A. Smith · opinion

If he was playing today, he would be what he needed to be in order to be successful today.

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Shannon Sharpe · rhetorical

All that MJ did was cook. LeBron had to cook, he had to clean, he had to wait table, he had to take orders.

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Shannon Sharpe · rhetorical

How many guys you know that are top five scorers and top five assists?

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Stephen A. Smith · factual

They couldn't even get the ball past half court because Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan had them on lock with a full court press. We never see LeBron do that.

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Stephen A. Smith · opinion

He will never be greater than Jordan to me. Let's go to Kareem — 19 time all star, six time league MVP, champion on a high school level.

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Stephen A. Smith · statistical

Six MVP. Top leader scorer before LeBron passed him.

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