Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James made fun of ESPN’s “First Take” host Stephen A. Smith as he finally addressed their public confrontation earlier this month for the first time.
“He’s like, on a Taylor Swift tour run right now,” James sarcastically said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, March 26. “He literally started off with, ‘I didn’t want to address it. I wasn’t going to address it. But since the video came out, I feel the need to address it.’
“Are you kidding me? If there’s one person that couldn’t wait for the video to drop so you can address it, it’s your ass. Like, seriously. He completely missed the whole point. Never would I ever not allow people to talk about the sport, criticize players about what they do on the court. That is your job to criticize or to be in a position where, okay, if a guy’s not performing, that is all part of the game.
“But when you take it and you get personal with it, it’s my job to not only protect my damn household but protect the players from a lot of the media, including him, and I know he’s gonna be happy as hell. He’s gonna be smiling from ear to ear when he hears me talking about him. Oh my God! He’s gonna get home and grab some ice cream and sit with his tiny whities on the couch.
“Relax, bro, like, relax. Like, seriously.”
James confronted Smith during the Lakers win over the New York Knicks at Crypto.com Arena on March 6 about his critical commentary on him and his son, Bronny James.
Stephen A. Smith Details LeBron Confrontation
The veteran ESPN reporter, who just signed a five-year, $100 million contract to stay with the cable network, addressed the issue on the March 7 episode of “The Stephen A. Smith Show.”
“He approached me during the game, and he said, ‘stop [expletive] with my son,’” Smith said. “I said, ‘what?’ … And I saw how furious he was. I said ‘we can talk about it later.’ He said ‘nah, [expletive] that, stop [expletive] with my son, that’s my son.’ I said ‘alright dawg, fine’ and he walked away, that’s all he said. I knew what he was talking about. I’ve spoken about this before…A few players were upset at me about that. I think one of those players was Draymond Green, who I haven’t spoken to since.”
The public spat stemmed from comments Smith had previously made about LeBron and Bronny, the 55th overall pick in last year’s NBA draft.
Smith also addressed the issue during the March 7 episode of “First Take” on ESPN.
“That was LeBron James coming up to me, unexpectedly, I might add,” Smith said on his ESPN show. “To confront me about making sure that I mind what I say about his son. I can’t repeat the words, because they’re not suitable for FCC airwaves…That wasn’t a basketball player confronting me. That was a parent. That was a father. And I can’t sit here and feel angry or feel slighted by LeBron James in any way in that regard.”
Stephen A. Smith’s Comments Which Offended LeBron
Smith’s previous insinuation of nepotism which helped Bronny’s NBA career did not sit well with LeBron.
“I’m really, really trying to be as respectful as I possibly can be toward LeBron James, one of the top two or three players in the history of basketball,” Smith said on Jan. 29 episode of the “First Take.” “I am pleading with LeBron James, as a father. Stop this. Stop this. We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad. The first game of the season … father-son duo playing in an NBA game for the first time, an absolutely, positively wonderful story.”
Smith made the comment following Bronny’s brutal game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 28 where he missed all his five shots and his defense was shredded by Tyrese Maxey.
“And then reality sets in. We love what we’re seeing from (Bronny) in the G League, because that’s where you belong, as you hone your skills and you get better and you legitimately earn, which I believe he has the potential to do. I am rooting for Bronny James … he’s a wonderful kid, I wish him nothing but the best.”
Since then, Bronny has responded with his best game in the pros — both in the G League and NBA level — with 17 points and five assists against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in 30 minutes last week and a 39-point explosion in South Bay’s win over the Santa Cruz Warriors on Monday, March 24.
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