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Giannis Antetokounmpo recently found himself on the receiving end of some criticism from ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith this week. While discussing the greatest NBA players of all time Antetokounmpo named LeBron James over Michael Jordan in the discussion. While Jordan and James are the two players most frequently mentioned in the 'GOAT' debate, Antetokounmpo picked the 38-year-old as the No. 1.
The Milwaukee Bucks will play the Philadelphia 76ers in their highly anticipated season opener this week. While other high-profile teams, such as the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors, will kick off their seasons tonight, the Bucks will have to wait until Thursday.
Giannis Antetokounmpo spoke leading up to the season opener about the greatest of all time. In his eyes, LeBron James' longevity heading into year 21 gives him the edge over Michael Jordan.
Following the remarks, Stephen A. Smith fired back, alleging that if it weren't for Michael Jordan, Giannis Antetokounmpo wouldn't know the game of basketball. He spoke on ESPN's First Take on Tuesday to discuss the situation.
"Don't come to me about GOAT James and giving me some youngster as great as Giannis is, young whippersnapper, wet behind the ears, breath smelling like Similac living in Greece talking to me about LeBron James is better than a dude that was balling before he was born," Smith said.
"And by the way, even when he was born he's the reason you knew about basketball in Greece for crying out loud. It's because of Michael Jordan," he added.
(Quote begins at: 4:30 mark)
Looking at Giannis Antetokounmpo's comments about LeBron James and Michael Jordan
Given that Stephen A. Smith took umbrage with Giannis Antetokounmpo's comments about LeBron James and Michael Jordan, let's look at what he actually said. Although it's not uncommon for things to get tense when discussing the GOAT debate, The Greek Freak kept things respectful.
Heading into a year where LeBron James will once again be one of his biggest rivals, the former NBA champ couldn't help but express respect toward James. In an interview with The Athletic's Joe Vardon, he simply stated:
"Some guys might say he is No. 2, but other guys like me, I say he is No. 1, and he's still going."
While Stephen A. Smith may not be happy with the order Antetokounmpo ranked the two all-time greats, it's clear he values James' longevity. Heading into year 21, what LeBron James is doing is truly unprecedented.
Last year, he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time top scorer, cementing his position in NBA history. He's showing no signs of slowing down as he now approaches the record for most seasons played.
