If you watch ESPN’s First Take, then you will be familiar with Shannon Sharpe and his admiration for LeBron James. One can find the NFL legend arguing with Stephen A Smith, a self-proclaimed Michael Jordan loyalist on that show. Even when the Lakers superstar goes through a lean period, Sharpe would bring a stat to put down the Bulls legend. This time, it wasn’t on ESPN’s show, but on his YouTube channel, where he dubbed the 6x NBA champion “boring.”

“I think they want the face of the league to be a little bit more buttoned up.” Speaking about Anthony Edwards’ claims about not being the face of the league, the 3x Super Bowl champion expressed how the league views them differently. Hearing this, his co-host another NFL legend, Chad Johnson, chimed in: “Hey, man, that’s boring.” That’s when Sharpe listed Michael Jordan and others as boring.

“Okay, Jordan was boring. Kobe was boring. LeBron was boring. Steph Curry’s boring. I’m just telling you.” The former Tight End continued, “I’m just telling you. You said it. You said being buttoned up is boring. I said Jordan was buttoned up. You said he’s boring.” Sharpe called Michael Jordan boring during the face of the league debate because of his off-court activities. Since the 6x NBA champion was “settled” in his marriage and the perceived image towards the fans.

Despite also naming LeBron in the “boring” category on “Club Shay Shay“, the ESPN analyst rates him over Michael Jordan. “I said God doggone GOAT James. You know what I should have patented that because I am the first to ever call that man GOAT James.” Sharpe has long pushed his ‘GOAT James’ narrative, a phrase he even claims to have coined. Last year, when the Lakers superstar scored and became the only player alongside MJ to score 40+ points in multiple games past the age of 39. Has the 4x NBA Champon’s recent form caused Sharpe to reconsider his stance?

Stephen A. Smith fought tooth and nail for Michael Jordan

The GOAT debate in 2025 seems stretched right? Well, ESPN’s analysts love getting into the debate for the one-upmanship. In December, LeBron was going through one of the worst slumps of his career. Naturally, questions were raised about whether his being 40 years old is a contributing factor to the poor form. Yet, Shannon Sharpe found a way to take a shot at His Airness.

“My guy is in a six-game slump. I know a guy that was in a two-year slump and nobody say a word.” During that period, LeBron would miss all 19 of his attempts from beyond the arc in the 4-game period. He even scored just 10 points against the Wolves at the beginning of December. But Smith didn’t like the comparison with MJ and stated why in the first place the Bulls legend came back to play for the Wizards. “The point is the only reason he came out of retirement to go to Washington was for ownership that’s what happened.”

Smith further added there is a clear difference in the physicality of the league from then and now. But Sharpe did not budge and won’t change his GOAT, just like Smith. They will probably continue this debate until Michael Jordan or LeBron themselves ask them not to.

Sharpe’s comments, however, raise a larger question: Does a player’s personality off the court matter when defining greatness? The NBA has evolved into an entertainment-driven league where personality sells almost as much as talent. Players like Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Iverson, and now Anthony Edwards have thrived by embracing their raw, unfiltered personas. Meanwhile, Jordan’s mystique was built on his untouchable aura rather than his engagement with fans.

Perhaps, in an era where accessibility and relatability drive stardom, the definition of “boring” is evolving, too.