American sports television personality Stephen A. Smith was recently featured as a guest on Los Angeles Clippers forward, Paul George’s, podcast series Podcast P.
During his time on Podcast P, Smith called out James and his agent Rich Paul:
Stephen A said on PG’s Podcast that LeBron and his camp drive him crazy because they can’t accept being #2 All-Time, and how one day he told Rich Paul to "Get the f**k out of my face."😳😂
(🎥 @PodcastPShow) pic.twitter.com/TEkIIJxKxD
— uSTADIUM NBA (@uSTADIUMNBA) August 14, 2023
Smith has become known for his loud and outspoken persona and isn’t afraid to let you know how he feels. He gets paid to give his analysis and perspective on athletes. Even one of the greatest athletes to ever live, LeBron James, cannot escape Smith’s wrath.
According to Smith, James and Paul don’t respond well to criticism when referring to James as anything other than the greatest basketball player of all time. Smith has James listed as his No. 2 greatest player of all time, behind only Michael Jordan.
Still, that was enough for James, Paul, and company. Paul felt insulted that his client was not the top player on Smith’s all-time list and was persistent with that stance.
So much so to the point that Smith had to tell Paul to "get out of his face." Smith elaborated further on the matter during his conversation with George, saying "You [Paul] have lost your damn mind."
Entering his age-39 season, James is running out of time to bridge Smith’s proverbial gap between himself and Jordan and going to have to accept his place as No. 2 on Smith’s all-time list if he cannot do it.
