With his first three-pointer of Tuesday night’s contest vs. the New Orleans Pelicans, LeBron James separated himself even further in the NBA record book by becoming the first player in league history to reach 50,000 points.

22 years into his career, James is still one of the top players in the league at age 40 — and on any given night, he just might be the best.

From the day he stepped foot in the Association, LeBron has been compared to the “Ghost in Chicago” — Michael Jordan, and ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has regularly sided with “His Airness” when it comes to basketball’s GOAT debate.

But with the sustained excellence James has put on display over the last two decades, punctuated by last night’s 34-point display, Smith changed his tune and admitted that it might be time to end the comparisons and give the King his flowers as the greatest to ever do it.

“He’s been absolutely phenomenal,” Smith said on Wednesday’s “First Take.”

“I’m going to sit up here today… although he annoyed the living hell out of me last week with all of that nonsense he was talking.

In the end, the greatness that he has put on display. For as long as he has put on display. I’ll even go a step further. Knowing how I feel about Jordan.

And I think anybody that knows basketball agrees with me. I actually think it’s time to not even have the debate anymore. Because that’s how great LeBron James has been.”

“For as long as he has been that great. I can stand down and acknowledge that because this is absolutely phenomenal. But it’s not the 50,000 points.

It’s not even the way he looked last night. It’s not even the way he’s looked this month,” the ESPN personality admitted.

“It’s the fact that I’m watching this brother with Anthony Davis, without Anthony Davis. With Luka, without Luka. I mean this dude right here—and I’m looking a guy at 40 years of age whose in better shape than 98% of the league.

If not more. At age 40 in his 22nd season. LeBron James, especially on a morning like this, deserves all the props in the world and I’m gonna give it to him.”

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 28: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on January 28, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

Emilee Chinn/Getty Images

Stephen A.’s comments are pretty surprising given his history. But something tells us the MJ debates aren’t going to end any time soon — especially on “First Take.”