Stephen A. Smith, for what seems like the twenty-fifth time this week, once again addressed the situation where LeBron James angrily confronted him on a basketball court last week.
This time, however, he really seemed to let loose.
Smith referred to the on-court showdown as “bulls—” and slammed James as “weak” over his actions. He is correct on both fronts.
As a refresher, James menacingly got into a heated conversation with Smith to seemingly intimidate the ESPN analyst into favorable coverage of himself and his son, Bronny.
As everyone knows, Bronny got a cushy nepo-baby slot on the Lakers bench, thanks to Papa James. Apparently, LeBron thinks his son is not subject to criticism because it’s his son. The NBA should fine or suspend the so-called ‘King’ over his actions. If it were anybody else, they surely would have done so already.
Until then, Smith has continually tried to explain what happened. Except this time, he let loose on LeBron.
Stephen A Smith Is Not Happy With LeBron James
Whereas Stephen A. Smith has repeatedly tip-toed around the issue, suggesting over and over again that his criticisms were about Bronny, not LeBron James, he really laid into the matter in an appearance on “Gil’s Arena” on Tuesday.
He called LeBron confronting him on the court “weak.”
“I thought it was some bulls—,” Smith said when asked about the argument. “But, in the moment, I knew that I was listening to a father.”
I’m sorry, but Bronny doesn’t get to escape criticism because of who his father is. The only reason he got a joke of a guaranteed contract with the Lakers is because of LeBron. And since we’ve all seen he can’t play NBA-caliber basketball, criticism is warranted.
Smith pleaded with LeBron and the Los Angeles Lakers several weeks ago to end the failed Bronny experiment.
“I am pleading with LeBron James as a father: stop this. Stop this,” he said at the time. “We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad.”
Clearly, LeBron James didn’t appreciate it, hence the argument.
“I turn around and he’s right here in my face and says, ‘Yo, you gotta stop talking s— about my son [Bronny]. You gotta stop f—ing with my son. That’s my son, that’s my son!’” Smith explained.
“I’MMA TELL YOU ONE TIME, BRO. KEEP MY SON OUT OF THIS ****, BRO.”
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) March 7, 2025
What LeBron James allegedly said to Stephen A. Smith during a break in the Lakers vs. Knicks game 😳🗣️
Thoughts? 🤔
Via. @LegendOfWinning pic.twitter.com/VOvxOfdMH3
RELATED: Stephen A. Smith Keeps Trying To Explain Why LeBron James Went After Him: ‘Never About Bronny’
NBA Reporters Have A Right To Point Out Bronny Sucks
Smith continued his tirade against LeBron James.
“I thought that he misrepresented the argument, I was glad he did,” he added. “Because what he was really talking about, which was confirmed with his conversation with Richard Jefferson, is that I was talking about him as a father.”
“Had he said that to me, I wouldn’t have been thrown off. I would’ve came right back at him — yes I was, I was talking about you, you did this s—.’”
Smith went on to point out that, as an NBA analyst, it would be impossible for him not to note that Bronny can’t shoot a basketball to save his life and would probably be the last one picked in an over-40 league at the local Y.
“I can’t ignore it,” Smith said, looking at Bronny’s stats, which include averaging 1.4 points per game and shooting 25% from the floor.
The ESPN star finished by pointing out that LeBron brought the entire situation on himself.
“I was talking about your ass — you. You did this,” Smith said. “All of us as reporters, as a league, as an NBA franchise, had to sit back and be quiet and capitulate to your s—, you did that.”
Hmm, now that last part is really, really interesting. Is Smith saying that based on how he felt he had to operate with Bronny in the league, or did someone in the NBA or LeBron’s camp advise journalists to keep quiet about King James Jr.?
Somebody might want to look into that.
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