Are you taking this player or are you taking that player? This always seems to be a debate in the NBA world and on Friday, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith compared Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade and Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden during a segment on First Take after former NBA guard Jeff Teague picked Harden over Wade earlier in the week.

One could make the argument that Wade is the greatest player to ever put on a Heat uniform and on the other side of things, Harden is one of the best guards of this generation. Both players have been named an All-Star at least ten times in their career and they've been on the All-NBA list countless times, but Smith made his stance of who he believes is better, much to the dislike of Sixers fans.

“Yes, individually and one-on-one, James Harden was absolutely spectacular and unstoppable. The handle, the step-back threes, the shooting abilities, D-Wade could never shoot the three like Harden could shoot the three,” Smith explained. “You gotta know how to be a team player though and you can't recruit players and every time you recruit them, you want them out… You were pacifiered in Houston for years, okay? D-Wade didn't necessarily require that. He understood the culture belonged to Pat Riley and not himself. That Erik Spoelstra was the coach that Pat Riley chose, that he had to be a leader.”

Harden may have been the better overall scorer and basketball player from a skill standpoint, as Smith eludes to, but Wade did a lot of little things that oftentimes go unnoticed. He was the leader of the Heat for years and fully embraced what it meant to play for his organization in Miami, which is why the Heat are well-respected and perceived how they are around the league today.

“It's about knowing how to play together, it's about knowing how to sacrifice, it's about knowing how to lead, not just recruit,” Smith continued. “I understand that James Harden, one-on-one, he's lethal. As far as I am concerned, you could make an argument outside of [Michael] Jordan and Kobe [Bryant], who you going to pick? Harden is right in that conversation. But in the end, more comes to it than just that, which is why D-Wade has three rings and Harden has none.”

When you compare Harden's ongoing career to that of Wade's 16 years in the NBA, their careers are eerily similar. Wade made the All-Star game 13 times and was named to the All-NBA list eight times compared to Harden's ten All-Star appearances and seven All-NBA honors. However, whereas Wade has one scoring title and a Finals MVP award to his name, Harden has three scoring titles and a regular season MVP to his name.

The key difference between these two stars though is the fact that Wade not only won three championships in Miami, but he was the leader of the Heat for all three titles runs. He never once looked to chase a title somewhere else and he always put the organization above his own personal goals, which is why he is one of the greatest shooting guards in NBA history.