Interestingly, A. Smith blames James for the negative atmosphere of the "Best Player of All Time" battle

Interestingly, Stephen A. Smith blamed Lakers star LeBron James for the "negative atmosphere" of the "best player of all time" dispute on Lakers star LeBron James and his camp.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith blamed the "negative atmosphere" of the NBA's Best Player in All-time (GOAT) battle on Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and his core team. On Friday’s First Take show, Smith noted that the ongoing tension that compares James to Michael Jordan originated not from analysts or fans, but from James and those around him.

"For me, LeBron James is second in history," Smith said. "We must understand that when we argue about this conversation, it is important that negative comments come from LeBron and his camp, not others when we argue about who is the best player in history."

Smith stressed that putting James second behind Jordan was a great respect for James and also highlighted how rare such an honor is given the league's decades of history.

"When we say he is second in history, we appreciate the fact that among the thousands of players who have played in the NBA since 1950... there is only one player we can see at a glance and clearly think he is better - that's Michael Jordan," Smith said.

Stephen A. Smith criticized LeBron James' camp for intensifying tensions over the "Best Player of All Time" battle

The clip also contains a conversation between Smith and Klutch Sports CEO Ricky Paul, James' long-time agent and business partner. Smith recalls that he told Paul at the time that it seemed unnecessary to regard the "Best Player of All Time" ranking as an insult.

"What did I say to Ritchie Paul one day? You acted like it was an insult," Smith said. "Ritchie Paul's response was: 'It's an insult.' Because they did that on the topic of "Best Player of All Time."

Smith further accused the James camp of trying to guide public opinion and hoped that media people would agree with their position.

"We are not your PR machine," Smith said. "Michael Jordan has never said that. Kobe Bryant has never said that. Karim Abdul-Jabbar has never said that... No one except him and his team claims to be the greatest player."

Not long ago, Paul responded to the criticism of James by former Michael Jordan agent David Falke. Falk once said that if Jordan "selected" teams and superstar teammates like James, he would win 15 championships. Paul retorted that Falk's remarks were "unfair" and "losed" his status.

40-year-old James is about to enter the Lakers' critical offseason and is considering his future in the league. He has a $52.2 million player option for the 2025-26 season. Despite his recent poor performance in the playoffs, James still maintained high efficiency, averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds in 70 games last season.

The debate on "the best player of all time" has long disagreement among fans and analysts, but Smith's latest remarks once again highlight the importance of player representation and public narrative in shaping historical status discussions.