Stephen A. Smith Gives Rare Praise to LeBron James While Dismissing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander & Co

As confetti rained down inside the Paycom Center, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander embraced the moment, which had been years in the making. Winning is a process, and the Oklahoma City Thunder know it all too well. Oklahoma’s path to glory was rocky; they faced many adversities along the way. The Thunder were labeled as “too young” and “inexperienced” by many analysts, but they did not give up. SGA and Co. first proved their doubters wrong in the regular season by winning 68 games, then they shut the rest down with their stunning playoff run. However, it seems even that wasn’t enough.

Despite claiming their first-ever NBA Championship last night, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his Thunder teammates cannot catch a break. That’s because Stephen A. Smith has decided to not include them among the greatest teams in history. While on his show First Take, Smith cleared his stance on this Thunder team. “I think that they’re an all-time great defensive team. But overall, I look at their offense, and they would have had trouble with a lot of teams.” Smith said. The ESPN analyst claimed that the Thunder might be an all-time defensive team, but overall, they don’t stand a chance.

This wasn’t all Stephen A. Smith had to say about the new champs, as he also elaborated on which teams could easily take down OKC. “Let me put it to you this way. I believe the Golden State Warriors, with Kevin Durant, would have beaten them. I believe the San Antonio Spurs with Duncan, Ginobili, and those boys would have beaten them. I believe the Miami Heat with D-Wade, LeBron, Bosh, and those boys would have beaten them. I believe the Lakers with Shaq and Kobe would have beaten them. I believe the Chicago Bulls with Jordan and Pippen, and those brothers, would have beaten them. That’s five right there.” He added.

.@stephenasmith says he doesn’t view the 2025 Thunder as an all-time great team

“I think that they’re an all-time great defensive team, but overall, I look at their offense and they would’ve had trouble with a lot of teams.” pic.twitter.com/JHLVsXhb0D

— First Take (@FirstTake) June 23, 2025

Well, if you put it that way, Smith does have a fair point; this OKC Thunder team has been phenomenal this season, and no one can take that away from them. However, calling them an all-time great team might be a stretch. We mean, SAS also gave a rare compliment to LeBron James, so that must mean something, right? Nonetheless, jokes apart, this team might not be at the level of some of the teams that Smith mentioned, but that doesn’t mean Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the rest of the team cannot reach those levels. In fact, this might be the start of their legacy, given how young most of the players are.

Meanwhile, it seems that despite complimenting LeBron James, Stephen A. Smith still doesn’t have good relations with the Lakers’ superstar.

Stephen A. Smith opens up about his feud with LeBron James

We all know the rivalry ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and LeBron James share. They might love the same game, but there’s no mutual understanding between the two. Although we might think that Smith’s hot takes, such as “James vs Jordan” or his views on the Los Angeles Lakers superstar, are mere clickbait techniques, he says he’s dead serious about his views. “I mean what I say and I say what I mean… Unless I’m openly joking.” Smith says. However, his feud isn’t just about his views anymore. When you drag someone’s family into the debate, things start to go south.

SAS has gone after James’ parenting, labelling him a bad parent, which led to a lot of backlash not just from the people but from King James himself. While it’s been a moment since all of the drama unfolded, Smith still doesn’t think that he and LeBron could come to talking terms even in the future.

Stephen A. Smith admits that he doesn’t like LeBron James

“I don’t like him, and he don’t like me. He’s one of the greatest players who’s ever lived. I’m going to show him that respect, and I’m going to cover him objectively. When he does great, I’m gonna applaud. When he… pic.twitter.com/LYJDJf86sg

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 18, 2025

I don’t like him, and he don’t like me. He’s one of the greatest players who’s ever lived. I’m going to show him that respect, and I’m going to cover him objectively. When he does great, I’m gonna applaud. When he doesn’t do great, I’m not gonna applaud. He hid behind his son, tried to make something out of nothing, as if I was dogging his son, which I was not. The real issue was we don’t like each other. And he used that as an excuse to confront me. I got it.” Smith said about James.

It seems like Stephen A. Smith has come to terms with the fact that he and LeBron are never going to be on the same page. However, that won’t stop Smith from giving James his flowers. He still thinks that the 40-year-old veteran is one of the greatest hoopers ever. Meanwhile, that also doesn’t mean that Smith will change his views; he still stands by his words and will continue to cover the game of basketball as he sees it.

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