Stephen A. Smith livid with Shannon Sharpe and tells him ‘you should be ashamed’ for ‘nonsense’ LeBron James opinion

STEPHEN A.

Smith was absolutely furious with Shannon Sharpe on Tuesday's episode of First Take.

The ESPN personalities clashed in their opinions of LeBron James in a heated debate.

Smith and Sharpe were locked in an argument about basketball's greatest player of all time.

James, 39, is in one of the worst statistical periods of his career.

The four-time champion has been at the top of the game for more than two decades.

His great adversary Michael Jordan , meanwhile, won six NBA titles in a shorter career with more breaks.

READ MORE ON THE NBA He retired for two years from 1993 to 1995 and again from 1998 to 2001.

Jordan's career spanned 19 years in total with five years out for breaks.

And Sharpe told Smith on First Take, "I wish LeBron James could have taken four or five years off during his career." Smith was left completely outraged by the comment.

Most read in Basketball He demanded the producers put the camera on him as he made his point angrily.

"This is the problem with Shannon Sharpe," he said.

"This dude is in the weight room, he works out all the time, he's the epitome of physicality.

"But he's going to ignore how physical the game was when MJ was playing compared to now for LeBron.

"You've got to be kidding me." Sharpe then tried to bring host Molly Qerim into the debate.

He asked the presenter, "Can you imagine if LeBron James said he needed time out because he was mentally and physically fatigued." Shannon Sharpe was a three-time Super Bowl champion before his heavyweight media career.

The former tight end played in the NFL from 1990 until 2003 - mostly with the Denver Broncos.

He was part of the Super Bowl championship teams in 1998 and 1999 as well as the Baltimore Ravens' title-winning team in 2001.

Sharpe was an eight-time Pro Bowler and voted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

He finished with 10,060 career receiving yards from 815 receptions with 62 touchdowns.

The ex-NFL star has had just as strong a career on television screens since retiring.

And Qerim replied, "The media would be all over him." Jordan won the last of his six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls in 1998.

He returned to play for the Washington Wizards in 2001 in a largely forgettable two years.

Sharpe asked Smith, "He couldn't get that team to the playoffs, the GOAT? "That's what you're asking LeBron James to do." Read More on The US Sun And an incensed Smith responded, "Because today's game is as soft as Cottonelle tissue compared to the 80s and early 90s." Referring to Sharpe, Smith said, "The man of steel should know that.".

This article has been shared from the original article on thesun, here is the link to the original article.