Michael Jordan’s NSFW diss to Spike Lee surfaces as LeBron James faces heat for confrontation

Stephen A. Smith and LeBron James' confrontation has seemingly opened a can of worms in the NBA, even involving Michael Jordan.

Michael Jordan’s NSFW diss to Spike Lee surfaces as LeBron James faces heat for confrontation

Spike Lee was honored when Michael Jordan dissed him, but LeBron James is called weak for his confrontation

In the past few weeks, LeBron James has started a furor in the media when he called out some veteran analysts for their overtly critical coverage of the NBA. He believes that is what is stopping players from openly claiming the face of the league monicker.

This started a debate when Stephen A. Smith went on a full-bore attack. He believes James was being hypocritical in his criticism of media members. The ESPN analyst believed one has to be that great to avoid criticism going his way.

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LeBron James though, was not backing down and during the Los Angeles Lakers game against the New York Knicks, confronted the 57-year-old analyst about his comments regarding his son Bronny James. Smith accepted the argument initially, citing that it was a father speaking.

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The next day onwards, Stephen A. Smith started to call out the Lakers superstar believing James had slighted him publicly. On every occasion, Smith went on berating James for confronting him. Around this time, a clip resurfaced where Spike Lee was speaking with Charles Barkley.

All-Star weekend Toronto. Finally asked Mike (Michael Jordan). Why did you choose me to direct those commercials. He said, ‘Spike, b***h you wear my shoes’. I’m telling you. It’s an honor when Michael Jordan calls you a b***h.

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Charles Barkley cosigned this notion that it was truly an honor when Jordan disses anyone with NSFW words. This indicates that the likes of Spike Lee, an award-winning director, are elated when Michael Jordan spits NSFW words at them.

Stephen A. Smith called LeBron James ‘weak’ for confronting him

Stephen A. Smith, Michael Wilbon, Skip Bayless and Charles Barkley hold Michael Jordan that high. High enough that they are fine if the 6-time NBA champion disses them. They look at it as a sign of gaining respect from the Chicago Bulls legend.

At the same time, Smith has called LeBron James ‘weak’ for confronting him. This indicates that the ESPN analyst does not hold any regard for the Los Angeles Lakers. This difference in respect levels has been obvious when Bayless or Wilbon or even Charles Barkley talk about James.

Another former Michael Jordan teammate called the all-time leading scorer ‘soft’ for his criticism towards media members. Add to that, the instant reaction Michael Wilbon had towards eclipsing 50,000 combined points also showed how veteran media members look at him.

This shows a divide where the older analysts are in awe of Michael Jordan. In general circumstances, that is how anyone would behave when they talk about the greatest of all time. The Bulls legend commands such respect.

But at the same time, they are seemingly disrespecting current generation stars. This goes on to add to the point James was making wherein veteran analysts, and their criticism is the reason players do not want to take up the ‘face of the NBA’ mantle.

NBC and Amazon hiring younger talent to spearhead NBA coverage

The problem so far has centered around the veteran analysts who speak about the NBA. Skip Bayless only features on his podcast, hence has lost the open forums on live television to speak his mind. But Stephen A. Smith and Michael Wilbon are still with ESPN.

Then there is Charles Barkley and the Inside the NBA crew who will be broadcasting via ESPN next season onwards. That means, almost all the veterans are going to feature on one network. With NBC and Amazon coming in, they are hiring people to spearhead their entry next season.

In the case of NBC, their hirings so far show that they only have two veterans on their roster. The oldest are Reggie Miller and Mike Tirico. However, their work so far has proved that they are not ones who will berate current generation players.

Their remaining colleagues are much younger and less likely to go on a hateful rant like the ESPN analysts. The same can be said about Amazon’s hirings so far. This indicates that both those networks could turn the tide when next season starts. Especially when it comes to unbiased coverage.