ESPN is ruffling a few feathers with their latest ranking of NBA players.
As the new season approaches, the popular network is revealing who it feels are the best players in the league, creating a list of the 100 greatest stars in the association.
Some of the biggest names in the game are on there, unsurprisingly, such as Trae Young, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, and others.
But surprisingly, LeBron James is ranked at number 6 while Kevin Durant makes the 8th spot on the list.
That has more than a few fans upset.
"There is no way in hell I don't have LeBron James and Kevin Durant out of my top 5… Ain't no way in hell 5 players in the world are better than LeBron James and Kevin Durant. That is impossible!"@stephenasmith on the latest ESPN NBA player rankingspic.twitter.com/zgqdihXX6Q
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) September 22, 2022
Stephen A. Smith is more than angry and he let ESPN hear it.
Speaking on the network, Smith went wild lambasting James and Durant’s positions.
“There is no way in hell I don’t have LeBron James and Kevin Durant out of my top five. Ain’t no way in hell five players in the world are better than LeBron James and Kevin Durant. That is impossible!” Smith said.
It is a bit surprising to see both James and Durant fall from their previous spots (James was 3 last year while Durant was number 1) but it cannot be denied that both of these players – while still superstars – aren’t as impactful as they once were.
Stephen A’s Anger
Both James and Durant didn’t really have postseasons last year and that has to be part of why they aren’t ranked as high.
Durant did make the first round but his Brooklyn Nets were promptly swept by the Boston Celtics while James and his Lakers didn’t even get to the play-in game.
It is true that both players are the strongest parts of their teams but even with all their might and skill, they aren’t able to drag them deep in the playoffs.
Both of these guys are going to fight hard this season so there is a chance that they will be much higher when next year’s list comes around.
Don’t count either of these All-Stars out.
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