For years, people have talked about who’s the greatest player in NBA history. And while most people will agree that LeBron James and Michael Jordan should lead the voting, everybody’s entitled to their own opinion.
That includes ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith, who has addressed this subject multiple times. Per him, Jordan is the undisputed GOAT, but LeBron is a close second.
That’s why superagent Rich Paul claimed he was disrespecting the Los Angeles Lakers star, to which Smith didn’t mince his words when firing back at the Klutch Sports CEO.
Stephen A. Smith Puts Rich Paul On Blast
“I got him as the second-best player in the history of basketball,” Smith said. “I got him, ahead of Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar). I got him behind no one but (Michael) Jordan and I said to Mr. Chirper himself, Rich Paul – my boy – and I said, you act like that’s an insult. This dude [said] ‘It is an insult.’ I said ‘Get the f*** out of my face.'”
“Exactly what I said to him,” Smith added. “I don’t want to talk to you no more. When you gonna treat me like I’m disrespecting a man by calling him, in the history of the game that started in 1947, you gonna tell me that I’m disrespecting a man by having him No. 2 all-time, you’ve lost your damn mind. I’m not talking to you.”
Simply put, you’re not going to intimidate Stephen A. Smith. He’s gonna tell it as it is, and having James as a close second, considering how many legends have played this game, is far from disrespectful.
