10 Jun 1997: Guard Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls speaks reporters during a practice before a playoff game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith made a few enemies this week because of his latest take regarding Michael Jordan’s impact on the game of basketball.
On Wednesday’s edition of First Take, Smith argued that Jordan changed the NBA in a negative way.
“Michael Jordan is responsible, as much as anybody, for changing the game for the worse,” Smith said. “Stay with me on this. I’m not throwing any shade on Michael Jordan, of course. He’s the greatest ever in my estimation. But He was so phenomenal that the NBA marketed the individual, the audience gravitated toward the individual, and the game became a bit more individualized.”
This take from Smith gained so much traction on social media that Nets star Kevin Durant called him out.
“My theory is that guys like Steve, skip and Shannon have changed the game for the worse,” Durant tweeted. “Playas like Stephen and Michael can only push the game forward.”
Durant isn’t the only person who feels this way. Countless basketball fans have called out Smith this week.
“Heavily disagree but I know you just want clicks,” one fan tweeted. “SAS must’ve not played pick up ball since Jordan retired the first time.”
“I’m not going to try to come up with an insult to a man with a an opinion but I don’t agree,” an NBA fan said. “And that’s that.”
“Enough is enough.. they on tv saying anything that comes to mind.. please stop,” another fan wrote.
Some fans believe Smith is purposely spewing out “nonsense” on TV.
Smith isn’t wrong about the audience gravitating towards Jordan as an individual. On the flip side, a counterargument can be made that many people became fans of basketball because of the six-time NBA champion.
Jordan remains an iconic figure in the sports world to this day. With that said, it’s really hard to claim he changed the game for the worse.
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