Stephen A. Smith took a long pause before snubbing LeBron James for surprise soccer icon as GOAT

Stephen A. Smith and LeBron James have had a tenuous relationship throughout their professional careers. His criticism of the future Hall-of-Famer reached a tipping point when James confronted him during the fourth quarter of a Lakers game on March 6. Now, Smith believes that Lionel Messi is a better all-time athlete than the Los Angeles forward.

James and Smith are widely considered as two of the best at what they do. The former has put together one of the greatest NBA careers the league has ever seen, while the latter has helped to build an empire at ESPN, appearing on a variety of shows and hosting First Take, one of the most popular programs on the network.

Smith added more intrigue to his relationship with LeBron at Fanatics Fest in New York City on Friday. The analyst appeared on Sloane Weinstein's Instagram account in a video where she asked him to compare legends across all sports. When the conversation pitted James against Messi, Smith took a moment before deeming the soccer player greater overall.

"I'm going to go with Messi," Smith said when asked to pick between him and James.

James was not the only legend that Smith took Messi over. The next player on the list was Barry Bonds, and Smith sided with Messi because of how much the Argentine forward has won in his career.

"I'm going to go with Messi because Messi has won championships," Smith said.

By the end of the game, Smith had to pick between Tom Brady and Michael Jordan. The longtime journalist did not hesitate, deeming the former Chicago Bulls legend as the greatest athlete of all time. In a world where the debate between James and Jordan has grown louder and louder, Smith has never wavered, always siding with the six-time NBA champion.

Smith claimed James has soured the NBA GOAT debate

Ever since he became the NBA's all-time leading scorer, modern era fans have crowned James as the NBA's GOAT. However, comments made by the forward and his agent earlier this year, deeming himself the greatest player of all time.

This is not the first time James has said something like this. After defeating the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals, James looked back on his 3-1 comeback, declaring that winning that ring pushed him past Jordan in the all-time rankings.

"After I stopped, I was like ‘That one right there made you the greatest player of all time,’" James said. "Everybody was talking about how they were the greatest team of all time. Like, they were the greatest team ever assembled, and for us to come back, the way we came back in that fashion, I was like ‘You did something special.’"

Smith has taken issue with James' camp saying things like that, especially while the forward is still playing. He compared the star to other all-time greats who went about their business without claiming that they deserved to be considered as the top player in league history, no matter how much they won.

"Michael Jordan didn't say that about himself," Smith said. "Kobe Bryant didn't say that about himself. Kareem Abdul Jabbar didn't say that about himself. Bill Russell didn't say that about himself. Tim Duncan didn't say that about himself. Nobody said that. Nobody but him (James) and his camp."

There is no love lost between James and Smith, especially after their incident in March. However, their paths will continue to cross as the forward continues to add to his illustrious career, making the GOAT conversation more and more competitive with each passing season.