Even before LeBron James’ full interview with Pat McAfee aired on Wednesday, Stephen A. Smith took issue with a comment made by the Los Angeles Lakers superstar. In a teaser clip released prior to the show, James criticized past generations of NBA players, asserting that Giannis Antetokounmpo would have scored 250 points in a single game if he had played in the 1970s. “You trying to tell me Giannis wouldn’t be able to play an NBA game in the ’70s?” James asked McAfee. “Giannis Antetokounmpo would have 250 points in a game in the ’70s.”
LeBron James on the Pat McAfee show:
“You trying to tell me Giannis wouldn’t be able to play an NBA game in the 70s?
Giannis Antetokounmpo would have 250 points in a game in the 70s. 250!”Thanks to the Redditor u/kurruchi for clipping this video:https://t.co/i8xNG8yqAV pic.twitter.com/gR0YwC0zVP
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) March 26, 2025
Unsurprisingly, James’ remarks didn’t sit well with Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, who criticized the four-time MVP for diminishing the competition of 50 years ago. During Wednesday’s episode of First Take, the New York radio legend argued for Julius “Dr. J.” Erving’s place as a top-12 player of all-time, using this ranking to counter James’ claim. While Stephen A. Smith disagreed with Russo’s rebuttal, he also found fault with James’ comments, perceiving them as “passive aggressive” and disrespectful to previous basketball eras.
“It’s still disrespectful to the previous eras. And there’s no call for it,” Smith stated. “When he does what he does on that level, that’s him passive aggressively — yet again — finding a way to take shots because he inherently has a problem with himself being compared to dudes from previous eras.” Smith speculated that James’ tendency to downplay historical players is rooted in the ongoing “GOAT” debate and criticisms from analysts like himself who favor Michael Jordan. This led Smith to reaffirm his belief that Jordan is the greatest of all time, especially in how they both handled adversity throughout their careers.
Stephen A. Smith on LeBron’s comments: “It’s still disrespectful to the previous eras. And there’s no call for it. And so when he does what he does on that level, that’s him passive aggressively — yet again — finding a way to take shots because inherently he has a problem with… pic.twitter.com/cEMLVIpU6v
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 26, 2025
Regardless of the ongoing Jordan-LeBron debate or James’ remarks on the 1970s, there remains an underlying tension between him and Smith, as is evident from Smith’s ongoing feud with the four-time NBA champion. It’s noteworthy that James also addressed Smith during his The Pat McAfee Show interview, comparing Smith’s repeated remarks on their viral on-court confrontation to a “Taylor Swift Tour.”
