“I’d have Michael Jordan as No 2”: When Stephen A. Smith Disagreed With NFL’s ‘GOAT Across Sports’ and Went With Muhammad Ali at the Top

After Tom Brady won his 7th Super Bowl, NFL.com came up with their GOAT rankings and declared TB12 as #1 and Michael Jordan as number 2.

But what was much more outrageous than this was them keeping the legendary Boxer Muhammad Ali out of their top 5.

Keeping the four athletes from the top-4 sports in the country was not a far reach. But Tennis star Serena Williams over Ali? That’s doing too much, probably for the sake of feminism.

Also read: “My First Dunk Was a 3-pt Shot”: Charles Barkley Gives the TNT Crew, Especially Shaquille O’Neal more Fodder to Roast Him

When Stephen A. Smith snubbed Michael Jordan as the GOAT

Maybe Boxing is not as big a sport as it once used to be, but that doesn’t mean Ali’s legacy should be forgotten. And when it looked like one of the biggest sports in the country was ready to do it, Stephen A. Smith stood up to the injustice.

And when his former ESPN First Take co-host Max Kellerman revealed his top-5 bringing 6x NBA champion Michael Jordan at the top, Smith had Muhammad Ali as his #1, not just for the boxer he was, but for what he did outside the ring.

“Even though you know how much I love MJ – six-time NBA champion, six-time NBA Finals MVP, undefeated in championship competition – I would still have MJ as No 2 on my list because I’m not putting anybody ahead of Muhammad Ali because I take into account the level of adversity you have to face in pursuit of your excellence,” Smith said.

Watch the following embed to listen to the whole bit.

Neither Tom Brady nor MJ, are close to Ali as the GOAT across sports

While being the greatest to ever put on boxing gloves, Ali dared to fight against the forceful recruitment in the forces for the Vietnam War, which now, along with most other wars in the Middle East are turning out to be nothing as they were portrayed to be at the time.

Whereas, Jordan throughout his career did nothing but win championships and sell his Jordans. Not enough to be the GOAT across sports!

And Brady? The man is a Trump supporter. Come on! I am not even a true democrat and I definitely know you cannot be the greatest among all athletes and also be remembered as a Trump supporter.

So as strange as it might be, I’ve got to agree with Stephen A. on this one.

Also read: Shaquille O’Neal, Who Couldn’t Pronounce Giannis ‘Antetokounmpo’, Mispronounces OKC Star Shai ‘Gilgeous’ Alexander as ‘Gilchrist’

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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