Stephen A. Smith took issue with LeBron James' comments about players from the 1970s during his interview on 'The Pat McAfee Show.' Screen grab: ‘First Take’
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Even before LeBron James’ interview with Pat McAfee aired in full on Wednesday, Stephen A. Smith took issue with something that the Los Angeles Lakers superstar had said.

While “The LeBronversation” edition of The Pat McAfee Show didn’t air until 12 p.m. ET, the show preemptively released one clip from the highly anticipated interview. And in the teaser, James took aim at past generations of NBA players, insisting that Giannis Antetokounmpo would have scored 250 points in a single game had he played in the 1970s.

“You trying to tell me Giannis wouldn’t be able to play an NBA game in the ’70s?” James tells McAfee in the clip. “Giannis Antetokounmpo would have 250 points in a game in the ’70s.”

Unsurprisingly, LeBron James’ comment didn’t sit well with Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, who took exception to 4-time MVP dismissing the competition that existed 50 years ago. On Wednesday’s episode of First Take, the New York radio legend proclaimed Julius “Dr. J.” Erving a top-12 player of all-time, citing the arbitrary ranking as evidence to counter James’ claim.

But while Stephen A. Smith didn’t agree with Russo’s rebuttal, he still took issue with James’ comment. Specifically, ESPN’s $100 million man wasn’t a fan of James throwing previous generations of basketball players under the bus in what he viewed as an act of “passive aggressive” behavior.

“It’s still disrespectful to the previous eras. And there’s no call for it,” Smith said. “And so when he does what he does on that level, that’s him passive aggressively — yet again — finding a way to take shots because inherently he has a problem with himself being prepared to dudes from previous eras.”

Smith proceeded to theorize that James’ propensity for downplaying players from the past stems from debates about the “GOAT” and critics — like himself — who favor Michael Jordan. The First Take star then used that as a jumping off point to reiterate his belief that Jordan is the GOAT based on some sort of comparison about how he believes the two handled adversity throughout their careers.

Regardless of the Jordan-LeBron debate or even LeBon James’ comments regarding the 1970s, the backdrop to all of this is Smith’s ongoing feud with the 4-time NBA champion. To that end, it’s worth noting that James also addressed Smith during his interview on The Pat McAfee Show, likening Stephen A. Smith’s repeated discussions regarding their viral on-court confrontation to a “Taylor Swift Tour.”

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.
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