Lakers news: Metta World Peace fires back at Stephen A. Smith for LeBron James 'softest era' rant

Metta World Peace defended Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James after Stephen A. Smith ranted that he could never be the GOAT.

Metta World Peace has already made it clear who he thinks is the greatest basketball player of all time. So, when ESPN anchor Stephen A. Smith said Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James would never be the greatest player of all time because he plays in “the softest era we have ever seen in NBA basketball,” Metta came to The King’s defense. And as anyone who has ever watched him play will tell you, that’s exactly what he’s good at.

World Peace took to Twitter to defend the Lakers star by mentioning his own experience playing in the league during the era that Smith called as the “softest ever.”

https://twitter.com/MettaWorld37/status/1314600460884426752

1999 draft had one of the toughest players ever. I will not let you guys and girls call my era soft. I would’ve loved to play in an era where you can scrap. That’s the type of ball we like.

I can name 100 tough players right now that couldn’t played in the “Let’s Scrap Era”

— Metta (@MettaWorld37) October 9, 2020

https://twitter.com/MettaWorld37/status/1314653617857544194

It’s hard to argue against World Peace being able to play during the 1980s and 1990s along with physical teams like the Detroit Pistons. If there’s anyone who is known for his physicality and toughness on the court, it’s probably the man formerly known as Ron Artest.

In his career, he was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2004, and he was a member of the All Defensive First Team twice and the All Defensive Second Team twice. He established himself as one of the greatest defenders of his era, and he was never afraid to mix it up.

World Peace, who won a championship with the Lakers 10 years ago, has a point in claiming that his era shouldn’t be diminished just because players in the league now rely more on skill and finesse, with shooting considered as the most valuable asset.

It’s also fair to point out that James didn’t actually come from today’s era, as he has been in the league for 17 years. The fact that he remains dominant to this day is a testament to his greatness, and we all know he would have been able to dominate in any era.