“Kobe (Bryant) Descended on LeBron (James)”: Stephen A. Smith Reminisces 4XMVP’s ‘Psyched Out’ Moment Beside Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony

The LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan debate is a never-ending saga in the NBA. Winning 6 NBA Championships in 6 final appearances, many consider MJ the Greatest of All Time. But, some say King James is the GOAT over Jordan because of how long he has dominated the NBA. Entering his 21st season this fall, The Chosen One has accomplished every accolade His Airness did. But his 6 NBA finals losses in 10 appearances continue to haunt his claim in the GOAT argument.

3-time Super Bowl Champion Shannon Sharpe and veteran analyst Stephen A. Smith are finally on the same team working together on First Take. But they still have a difference in opinion about the GOAT debate. As Shannon defended his stance on King James being the GOAT, Stephen A. revealed the moment when he believed Jordan beat LeBron in the debate.

Psych-out moment of LeBron James

Picture this. It is the 2012 NBA All-Star Game. With his team trailing by 2 points, the ball is in LeBron’s hand with 4 seconds to go in the game. He has the chance to take the game-winning shot over the Great Kobe Bryant and create history. Instead, he throws a cross-court pass, which gets intercepted by Blake Griffin and the East loses the game by 3 points. That is the moment Stephen A. Smith believed LeBron James was not better than Michael Jordan, he revealed on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast. A player like Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant would have taken that final shot to win the game, irrespective of the outcome.

“Kobe descended on LeBron and said, ‘Yo, Wassup!’ ” Smith said, reminiscing about how even the Black Mamba knew that LeBron was “psyched out” after the 2011 NBA Finals loss. Instead of taking the final shot over one of the best players of all time, Bron simply passed the ball to his All-Star game teammates, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade. “Kobe wasn’t like that,” Smith said. “MJ wasn’t like that.”

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Stephen A. added on LeBron not having a mentality like the two legends.

The King’s 2011 Final defeat

Till 2012, LeBron was not what he has become today. He came fresh off a devastating NBA finals loss in the previous season by Dirk Nowitzki-led Dallas Mavericks. After claiming to win multiple championships while joining forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, LeBron choked on the biggest stage. Even Shannon had to acknowledge Stephen A.’s argument about LeBron’s 2011 finals performance, “I can’t argue out of that one.”

Losing to Dirk Nowitzki while practically disappearing during the finals did a number on LeBron’s confidence. He had not won a single championship in the first 8 years of his career after being deemed “The Chosen One” by the world. This loss of confidence led to him not taking the game-winning shot in the 2012 All-Star game.

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LeBron redeemed his career that same year by winning his first NBA championship, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, Stephen A. Smith refuses to put him over Michael Jordan because of the two major incidents in LeBron’s historic career.