NBA Analyst Stephen Smith highlights LeBron James’ greatness but considers him second to Michael Jordan in GOAT debate

The Los Angeles Lakers talisman LeBron James has only gone from strength to strength and even in his 20th season in the NBA, he has shown no signs of slowing down. LeBron will soon be leading his team in the All Star game as he was chosen as one of the captains by the fans.

Recently NBA Analyst Step[hen A. Smith shared why LeBron is a great player as he broke down his abilities but also highlighted why he would not keep him above Michael Jordan. Smith highlights the impact that he has had on the game in his reign of two decades. He shared how LeBron is not someone with Kareem Abdul Jabbar or Bill Russell’s resume but still he rates him second only to MJ because of his outstanding longevity and his insane ability of never going out of shape.

“I don’t have LeBron over MJ. But I will tell you that I’ve got him number two. He doesn’t have the resume of a Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] or a Bill Russell. But I consider him number 2 on the Mount Rushmore in the history of basketball. I think we’re gonna really, really miss him when he’s gone. And the reason why we’re gonna miss him when he’s gone is because he’s never cheated us with his conditioning. I don’t think people realize how big that is to acknowledge. We’ve never seen LeBron James out of shape. Ever.”

Smith highlighted how it is so tough to keep up with the intensity in a league for 20 years and LeBron has not only played for two decades, he has done it with consistency, aggression and sheer dominance.

“For 20 years, we’ve been watching this man do it. And doing it at a consistent level… because instead of being ready, he’s getting ready. It’s never been the case with him.”

The GOAT debate is never ending as people from the last generation will always vote for Michael Jordan for his heroics with the Chicago Bulls but kids from this era have seen LeBron James’ exploits and will tend to swing towards him in the debate. The King is on his way to becoming the All-Time Leading Scorer in the NBA, as he is currently second behind Kareem Abdul Jabbar and getting closer with every game.

The Lakers though are still in a spot of bother as they are in 13th position in the Western Conference with an underwhelming record of 23-26. They recently won against the San Antonio Spurs as new signing Rui Hachimura also played and was decent enough as he scored 12 points and caught six rebounds coming off the bench. But with Anthony Davis returning from injury, the Purple and Gold army will be looking to win in clusters and move up the ladder as they desperately need to move to the postseason.