Stephen A. says there could be a GOAT shakeup if the Lakers win it all this year.
One week after saying that he might have to remove LeBron James from his Mount Rushmore in favor of Steph Curry, Stephen A. Smith is now saying that James may replace Michael Jordan atop his version of Mount Rushmore.
Stephen A.’s condition on Curry bumping off Bron was if the Warriors beat the Lakers in their current playoff series. But with the Lakers now up 3-1, Smith has made a bolder statement.
“I will acknowledge that I have found it insulting, for anybody, to think that he belongs above Michael Jordan,” Smith said on First Take. “If he were to win a fifth title this year, I would no longer feel insulted by that discussion. I would have to concede that.”
“I’m still not putting him above Jordan,” Smith continued. “But I understand others who’d think otherwise because for him to take this team from where it was to where it is now, all be it, Rob Pelinka deserves a whole bunch of credit for what he has been able to pull off in trades that brought four different players not just two or whatever, four with Beasley, Hachimura, Vanderbilt, Russell. The fact of the matter is LeBron is the leader of the pack, and for him to turn around in his 20th season and play the way that he’s played…and to capture an NBA title in this particular season at this stage in his career. It would warrant a discussion as the greatest player to have ever played this game.”
If LeBron wins a fifth NBA title, @stephenasmith says « it would warrant a discussion » of passing MJ on the basketball Mount Rushmore 👀 pic.twitter.com/YR3tuBkCpu
— First Take (@FirstTake) May 9, 2023
Lakers turned their season around
The Lakers became the first team in two decades and the sixth team overall to make the playoffs after opening their season with a 2-10 record. They were also the first team with a bottom-three win percentage in a conference at the All-Star break to make the playoffs since 1987-88.
