Looks like Michael Jordan has opened Pandora’s Box again: The GOAT debate. For him, the term “GOAT” never really meant anything to make him feel proud. However, Stephen A. Smith, ESPN’s and the NBA’s loudest voice, feels that the legend was modest. And he took no time to settle the argument by dragging LeBron James, of course!

“Now, he’s not going to tell you he’s the GOAT. I’m going to tell you he is. I’m going to tell you it damn sure ain’t LeBron, but I’m also going to tell you that’s not a disrespect to LeBron,” Smith said on The Stephen A. Smith Show.

Well, Rich Paul might hear it and feel slighted. LeBron might feel the same. Their clique could read it as disrespect. However, that misses the point entirely. In Smith’s view, entering the GOAT debate already signals elite status. Only the greatest earn that seat at the table. Therefore, if LeBron James appears in the GOAT conversation, he clearly commands respect. Otherwise, the debate would never include his name.

“So we have to remember that LeBron is one of the top. I got LeBron as number two all-time in the history of basketball. I got KD top 10 all-time in the history of basketball. He’s that great,” SAS added. “I have Steph Curry as the greatest shooter God has ever created, period. He’s that great.”

Smith further noted that debating greatness should never feel like an insult. Instead, it fuels the joy of basketball. Complaints about these talks miss the bigger picture. In fact, shutting them down asks fans to stop celebrating the game itself. Few people notice that irony.

Now imagine this: a host appears on television, radio, or YouTube, faces the audience, and speaks with certainty: “Well, Michael Jordan’s a GOAT, but so is LeBron. They’re both great.”

Well, that would be the whole show. Five seconds, and the conversation dies. Where is the celebration of the game in that? Without debate, the spark disappears. There is no fodder for fans to chew on. There is no intrigue pulling people in. Therefore, nobody leans forward thinking, “Yo, this is special.” Instead, the moment fades instantly, leaving the game without its lively storytelling.

Now, how did this conversation spark?

Michael Jordan weighs LeBron James GOAT debate

MJ has a clear stance on the GOAT chatter among basketball players. During a conversation with Mike Tirico on NBC, the 63-year-old legend admitted the debate rarely crosses his mind. In fact, he views it as impossible to settle. Meanwhile, the noise continues elsewhere. Julius Erving even backed another choice over LeBron James and Michael Jordan, while one of LeBron’s former teammates offered a curious take.

“The whole GOAT term is never going to be something that I ever will get high or low about,” Jordan admitted. “You know, it just doesn’t exist for me. I never played against Oscar [Robertson] or Jerry West. Would have loved to, absolutely loved to. Just as competitive as I am. And I actually learned from them. ”

He added, “We paved the road to the Kobes and the LeBrons, right? And to me, it’s the beauty of the game of basketball that a player, after a previous player, has evolved the game further.”

The GOAT debate lives because basketball never stops evolving. Michael Jordan shrugs at the label and sees an endless chain of legends pushing the sport forward. Meanwhile, Stephen A. Smith keeps the fire roaring by crowning Jordan while praising LeBron James but not having regard for him. Therefore, the arguments rage on. And honestly, that lively chaos remains part of the game’s magic.