Even with Alex Ovechkin breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL goal record, ESPN’s First Take couldn’t resist turning the conversation back to LeBron James. On Sunday afternoon, Ovechkin made history, and with P.K. Subban in studio the next morning, the stage was set for ESPN to do that hockey on First Take. However, they shifted the focus to a segment on Ovechkin that quickly became about LeBron James, intertwined with names like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
“LeBron’s great, but he ain’t Kobe, he ain’t Jordan…yeah I did, I put Kobe ahead of him!” – P.K. Subban joins First Take for some hockey talk pic.twitter.com/2lfYaeS5Pw
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 7, 2025
“LeBron’s great, but he ain’t Kobe, he ain’t Jordan for me,” Subban asserted, facing immediate pushback from Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe. “Yeah, I did, I put Kobe ahead of him! Kobe’s ahead of LeBron for me.” Sharpe’s comparison of a black mamba to a common brown snake led to a mix of John Wick and James Bond references, prompting Subban to argue that Kobe instilled more fear in opponents than LeBron. Unfortunately, any NHL fans watching likely felt disappointed at First Take’s attempt at discussing hockey.
Subban elaborated, stating, “I’m sorry, there’s nobody in basketball, other than Kobe and [Jordan], that has ever instilled fear in their opponents like those two guys. It’s one million percent fair to say players feared Jordan and Kobe more than LeBron. He ain’t ahead of Kobe for me.” Ignoring Subban’s unfounded NBA hot take of ranking Bryant ahead of James, it’s important to note First Take’s recurring struggle to keep its focus on the NHL. Ovechkin’s record-breaking achievement was significant, and it deserved the spotlight without needing to be overshadowed by discussions on LeBron’s legacy.
One has to wonder how the NHL feels about such a portrayal of one of its most significant records on its media partner’s premier daytime studio show. Would First Take have posed the same question had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar still held the title of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer? And did Gretzky get a mention when LeBron eclipsed the NBA’s scoring record two years ago?
There’s definitely a time and place for comparing records—typically during the quieter months of July in sports. Yet, in the wake of Ovechkin breaking Gretzky’s record, it felt like First Take prioritized getting LeBron’s name into the discussion over catering to any hockey fans tuning in. This perpetuates the narrative that First Take primarily focuses on LeBron, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Dallas Cowboys.
Be sure to catch the next segment on First Take, where they’ll debate whether the Dallas Cowboys can outperform last year’s performance—another rehashing of last week’s discussion.
