In basketball, there will always be debates on who the greatest players are. From fans and media personalities to former players, everyone seems to voice out their opinions on the matter. Take Philadelphia 76ers legend Allen Iverson for example. Like many who watch the NBA, Iverson is in agreement that Michael Jordan is the greatest player to ever step foot on the hardwood. However, unlike the majority who claim that LeBron James is up there with Jordan in the GOAT debate, Iverson has a different name in mind for who he thinks is next to His Airness: the late Kobe Bryant.

While Iverson's argument seems understandable, the very outspoken Stephen A. Smith doesn't seem to agree. In a post on X, Smith fired back on AI's claims regarding Bryant.

“Kobe Bryant is not the second greatest player in NBA history,” Smith said. “That's just not true. It's just not! The points per game didn't equal LeBron's, the assists didn't equal LeBron's, the rebounds didn't equal LeBron's, the durability didn't equal LeBron's. He's (Kobe has) got more rings, but we can't ignore the fact the first three came with Shaq (Shaquille O'Neal) in his prime — one of the top two most dominant figures in the history of basketball.”

While Smith also made sure he acknowledged what Bryant “meant and will forever mean to the game of basketball,” the media personality kept going on, even implying that even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is ranked higher than the Black Mamba.

“LeBron didn't have Shaq as a teammate. Kyrie (Irving) and Kevin Love, okay…Dwayne Wade, (Chris) Bosh and Ray Allen, okay…You cannot put him at number two over LeBron. You cannot put him at number two over Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

As of now, “The Answer” has yet to retort to the recently posted rant. However, it will be interesting to see if Allen Iverson would actually decide to give Smith the time of day.