ESPN golden boy Stephen A. Smith had a few things to say about how the Los Angeles Lakers have failed miserably throughout the season. Now that they have officially been eliminated from the playoffs, Stephen A has turned his attention to LeBron James and his legacy. The King isn't going to like what Smith has to say here.

According to Stephen A, LeBron's inability to carry the Lakers this season should end the debate as to whether or not James should still be considered the greatest of all time:

“Ends the GOAT conversation,” Smith said plainly. “There's nothing to talk about. You're 17 games under .500 and you average 30 (points). Now, if LeBron had been injured and as a result, he had been hobbled throughout the season and you're averaging 17, 18 points, we would to him and see he's injured. You're gonna say he's injured. That's what it is okay, it's simple and plain. That's not what happened here.”

LeBron played at an elite level this year and the fact that he's doing such marvelous things at 37 simply blows the minds of most folks. To some extent, the same can be said for Smith, but the renowned broadcaster argues that this very fact is actually a knock against James. He may be playing out-of-this-world basketball but in the end, the fact that the Lakers did not even make it to the playoffs, speaks volumes of LeBron's ability as this team's talisman.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5A53alv7I8uub6EBQYFFXZ?si=855d45b713344e17

Smith continued to belabor his point by arguing that LeBron also needs to be partly to blame for the construction of this current Lakers roster:

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“What happened here is that LeBron James the player, as exceptional and phenomenal as he is, you know what, the GM that he was, was in strong desire of a lot,” Smith continued. “He had a lot to do with the assemblage of this roster. And, the leadership ability that was a strength of his, where he was able to galvanize the troops and maximize the potential around him, he couldn't pull that off this year. And they are 17 games under .500 — the Lakers, not the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Los Angeles Lakers are 17 games under .500 with LeBron James averaging MVP-caliber numbers. This is definitely a stain.”

When talking about the league's MVP, they always say that it has to be the best player on the best team. LeBron may have proven that he still remains to be one of the top players in the NBA today, but his Lakers are anything but the best team in the league. Some would even argue that they aren't even a mediocre team, considering the history of this esteemed franchise. To this point, Smith makes a lot of sense in that despite his personal achievement, this was still a highly disappointing season for LeBron.

It sounds to me as though Stephen A. Smith now has no doubt that Michael Jordan is the undisputed GOAT. Based on what we've seen from LeBron and the Lakers this year, the man actually has a point. Apart from his rookie year and in his second year with the Chicago Bulls where he played in just 18 games that season, MJ never led the Bulls to a sub-.500 campaign. You could argue that Jordan had a losing record during his two seasons with the Washington Wizards, but both those years were still far better than the Lakers' standing this season.