Stephen A. RESPONDS to LeBron's comments on being the GOAT over Michael Jordan 🗣️ | First Take

Interview LeBron James was asked for his thoughts on the goat debate and he shared the answer that will surely get people talking He said quote, I'm not taking anybody nobody over me There's no question, but I think Mike Jordan would say the same thing rest his soul Kobe Bryant would say the same thing Magic Johnson will say the same thing Larry Bird will say the same thing Shaq could say the same thing James said the late great will Chamberlain Kareem Abdul -jabbar I don't think none of us are gonna take somebody else if there's a general manager and he's eyeballing all of us on a baseline with the number one pick it's gonna be hard not to take me champ so now we've heard what LeBron has to say I don't know that this is necessarily surprising but see what do you make of LeBron's comments well the problem is the problem is is none of those guys are ever saying that.

That's true.That's the problem.

That's what I was going to say.

That's the problem.We don't hear Shaq calling himself the GOAT.Shaq does a lot of podcasting.He's on television.He's always talking about other people.Matter of fact, I believe he has Steph Curry as his GOAT right now.

So he's never talking about himself.See, when we get to this point, and this is the problem that I have with Braun, is that instead of letting other people glorify you or give you your flowers or a guy like me come on television that been through the trenches with you since childhood, let me come on and tell the world why you're the GOAT.You sit back and just accept the flowers.We don't never hear Jordan say it.And here we are again, here we are again, and I know we gonna pick it up, but he knows we're going to pick up the soundbite.It's just here.

We're in the NBA Finals.NBA Finals.And we're getting distracted because of this, right?

Yeah, but does he have something to do with the timing of the release of the article?I mean, he is possible.I don't know the answer to that.

Yeah, but he got something to do with the timing of them.

There have been plenty of times.I've gotten myself in heat on numerous occasions because peopletreat something that I said, like I said it yesterday and I said it six months ago, but the damn thing was held until six months later.I mean, it happens with magazine articles and stuff like that is what I'm saying, which is very frustrating because damn it had it been six months later, I might've said something a little bit different than I said six months ago, depending on, you know, what the, what the question was and what have you.But to speak directly about LeBron, Big Perk is absolutely right in this regard.He's talking about they would say the same thing.

No, they wouldn't Michael Jordan would never tell you he's to go.I know Michael Jordan.I speak to him often.I'm telling you he has never ever ever once called himself the greatest ever.It has never happened.Kobe Bryant didn't call himself the greatest Kareem didn't call himself the greatest magic didn't call himself the greater bird didn't call himself the greatest.

No, that's not true.That's not true.He could say they might have thought it.but they never articulated it to a reporter for print purposes to be disseminated to the masses.It is LeBron James, which brings us to LeBron James.Why would he do that?

Because the man is addicted to trying to control the narrative.These are the reasons problems exist.And so many people who support him, They haven't seen the forest from the tree from the trees.They get caught up in that moment.He's saying something that moment, you know, why you can't get caught up in a moment with LeBron James because LeBron James ain't caught up in the moment.Everything he does is calculating.

He knows exactly what he's doing plots and he planes hoping to have a specific impact.I would know personally.I know what he does.Okay, and I'm not even knocking it because he is on the Mount Rushmore basketball.He's one of the greatest.basketball players to have ever lived.

I have said repeatedly, I have him number two all time.Or Rich Paul put it best.Yo, Rich, you acting like that's a damn insult to call him number two all the time.It is an insult.That's how they feel.That's how they feel.

And they feel that way in large part, they think for themselves, but they feel that way in large part, because they know that's how he feels.He is still around because when all is said and done, he wants to Eclipse every record because he knows down the line from an historical perspective.We ain't going to remember.It took him 23, 24, 25 years to do what Jordan did in 13 or what Kareem did in 1920 or something like that.All we going to look at is the numbers all -time leader scorer.This this that we're going to look at all of those different things and we're going to say statistically.

He's the best.That is why he is still around, because he wants that narrative to be dictated.As I told you before, he's on to Mount Rushmore.He's one of the top two in the history in my game.As long as I'm breathing and I'm on the airwaves, it will never be what he wants it to be, period.

Here's what LeBron should do, and anybody who thinks he's better than Jordan, go take out the tape of every game in the Dallas series when Nowitzki beat him.When he averaged 17 a game, Couldn't score in the fourth quarter and was completely outplayed with a better team, Wade and Bosh.Buy me a series if that happened to Jordan.Can't.Buy me a series if that happened to Kareem.Can't.

Buy me a series if that happened to Bird.Can't.You might be able to give me game seven Lakers in 84 with Magic.They probably should have won that series against Bird.But you really can't with him either.With LeBron, you can.

And that's it.LeBron is not my favorite.

I have one closing comment.I want to break news here by telling you there are two categories in which LeBron James is the absolute GOAT.

Longevity.

Longevity.Nobody has been as great for as long as LeBron James has been great for this period of time.We agree.The GOAT of longevity and category number two, the GOAT of talking about who's the GOAT.He's the goat of that conversation.

How about the goat of pressure?He's the goat.That's not true.That's not true.Not over Jordan.That's not true.

I let you two old heads talk.I wasn't trying to go here with y 'all.But when it comes to being under pressure, there's no athlete in the history of sports that was under the amount of pressure like a LeBron James and he overachieved.From jump.From jump.

From, from.When he started his career.I got that part.From jump.I got that part.Right there.

Right there.Right there, solids.We can go to break.No, we can't.No, we can't.No, we can't.

No, no, no.No, no, no.On this first take, baby.No, no, we ain't going to break.Hold on.You can't say that when you're the person who put yourself in that position.

Ain't nobody told him to come into the NBA wearing number 23.And I might tell him to come into the NBA putting up putting the claim that you gonna be that dude.And oh, by the way with Jordan, you can't sit up there.Yeah pressure moments.He showed up, but the pressure that was on his shoulders was something that he continuously alleviated.How did he alleviate it?

Because there were no game sevens and championship series when Jordan was going up against you in the finals because he closed you out before game seven.He was undefeated and unblemished.The pressure that was placed on him was not just because of his verbiage, not just because of his body language.not just because of LeBron sitting up there wearing them.23 and all of that other stuff, but there were times when the brother came up short.So when you talk about pressure, it's because we anticipated what was he going to do?

Because we didn't know whether he was going to win or lose.Whereas with Jordan, you expected wins and he delivered wins.That's what he did.It's just that simple.So you can look at it any old way you want to.More game -winning shots.

More, more, there were 82 game seasons, more than all defensive teams, more scoring titles, more a lot.No, he ain't getting that.You put the pressure on yourself.We didn't put it on you.You put it on you.

Bring, bring, bring me, bring me on Series X and we gonna finish.You can finish that.Ain't nobody running.I'mma, I'mma be.Ain't nobody running.I'mma be respectful.

All right, okay.

That's nice of you.