Just 24 hours after setting NBA Twitter ablaze with his latest hot take, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith was, once again, front and center defending his much-talked-about stance on LeBron James and Stephen Curry’s place on the NBA’s Mount Rushmore.
Appearing on NBA Countdown ahead of Lakers-Warriors Game 2, Smith took a moment to double down on the controversial comments he made regarding what a fifth NBA championship would do for the respective four-time champion’s legacies. Smith, of course, went viral on Wednesday after stating James—the NBA’s all-time leading scorer—might have to be replaced by Curry, the greatest shooter of all-time, on the Mt. Rushmore of basketball if the Warriors star wins ring No. 5 first.
Smith first clarified that James winning a fifth title would, for him, make the conversation on whether or not he’s better than Michael Jordan “less insulting” before revisiting his take about Curry and James. In his defense, Smith said that the conversation is “about résumés” and if Curry wins a fifth ring, his résumé would rival James’s accomplishments compared to those of Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell—the other legends on his Mt. Rushmore.
“If Steph Curry wins a fifth title and we start talking about some of the greatest ever … I’m sorry, it’s a discussion with him and who needs to be removed from the Mount Rushmore even if that conversation, and just a conversation, involves LeBron when you look at resumé,”Smith said.
"If Steph Curry wins a 5th title and we start talking about some of the greatest ever… I'm sorry, it's a discussion with him and who needs to be removed from the Mount Rushmore even if that conversation involves LeBron [James]."
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 5, 2023
— Stephen A. Smithpic.twitter.com/gUVY2A1rDK
While Stephen A. standing firm in his take should surprise no one, his staunch backing of Curry is sure to add even more heat to the highly-anticipated second-round series between Golden State and Los Angeles.
Thursday’s matchup marked the 45th meeting between Curry, a two-time MVP and nine-time All-Star, and James, a four-time MVP and 19-time All-Star, in their Hall-of-Fame careers. Entering Game 2, Curry boasted a 15–8 edge in the postseason following the Lakers’ 117–112 Game 1 win on Tuesday.
