Everyone has their reasoning for who they believe is the greatest basketball player of all time. That includes Hollywood director Ryan Coogler, who joined Matt Barnes on All the Smoke to discuss the upcoming NBA playoffs and share some of his own basketball opinions. He even shared his GOAT pick, which, coming from a 38-year-old, likely didn’t come as too much of a surprise.
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When Coogler was asked to rank Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, he first asked if he should take his bias out of the equation. When Barnes told him to do whatever he wanted and clarified he was picking the greatest of the three, Coogler jumped right into his answer with one word, “Bron.”
“Okay, I’ll tell you why,” Coogler prefaced his statement. “Cause he did it with social media, and it’s just the devil, bro… Cameras everywhere and him being on the cover of Sports Illustrated when he was a teenager, bro. Like [Michael] Jordan had to deal with that. Kobe had to deal with that too, but it wasn’t as advanced as it is now.”
He argued that social media was tough enough for LeBron to navigate, but Coogler also stressed that Jordan and Kobe never had to face basketball’s greatest shooter ever at his best. “None of them had to face Steph Curry, bro,” Coogler added while shaking his head. “The closest MJ had to Steph was Reggie [Miller].”
Considering he still ranks among the top talents in the league 22 seasons into his career, it’s hard to detract from anything LeBron has done or will do in the league at this point. Even Stephen A. Smith has reevaluated his thoughts on the four-time champion.
Stephen A. Smith finally gave LeBron credit
While not at the level of Skip Bayless, Stephen A. Smith has never been one to come to LeBron’s defense. James had never even acknowledged the longtime sports analyst’s existence until he poked the bear by repeatedly talking about his son, Bronny. But Smith did recently crown LeBron the king—in one area of the game.
Stephen A. credited LeBron for his extended greatness into his 40s, nearly calling him the greatest before clarifying his comment. “There’s nobody who has been as good for as long, meaning longevity, a sustained level of pristine excellence. LeBron James is the GOAT—in that category,” he stressed.
LeBron has made some of his most notable and loyal detractors change their tone in recent years. Even if you don’t like the four-time MVP’s attitude on the court at times, it’s impossible to ignore his unprecedented greatness.
