The public feud between ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James intensified on Wednesday following James’ appearance on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show. The Lakers forward and Smith have been engaged in a very public back-and-forth regarding Smith’s criticism of James and his handling of the Lakers drafting his son, Bronny, in the second round of this past year’s NBA Draft.
During the interview, James told McAfee that ever since video of his confrontation with Smith leaked online, Smith has been on a “Taylor Swift tour run,” suggesting that he is taking full advantage of the situation. Furthermore, James called Smith a “mother****r” and argued that Smith “missed the point” of why he confronted him in the first place.
Unsurprisingly, this did not sit well with Smith. Later that evening, he addressed James directly on his own podcast, making it clear that if LeBron had put hands on him at the arena, he would have “immediately swung on him.”
“As I have repeatedly stated, I was not talking about his son. I was talking about him,” Smith emphasized. “I’m getting to a point where I’m very annoyed with people who cover the game of basketball, who cover professional sports. Pundits out there—including him (LeBron), his inner circle, his family members, and everybody else included—when are you going to ask him or hold him accountable for the truth?”
Building on his point, Smith reiterated that he has only discussed Bronny James in the context of being a second-round NBA draft pick who is not yet ready to play in the league. Therefore, Smith contends that James continues to misrepresent his stance.
“He hoodwinked y’all into thinking that he was upset about criticism of his son,” Smith exclaimed. “If your son is a professional basketball player and I was talking about your son as a basketball player—since you just went on The Pat McAfee Show and said you would never knock anybody for talking about the game—then what is it that I said? What I said was, as a father, stop.”
Further pressing the issue, Smith challenged James to clarify how he believes his son should be discussed as a player. He then revealed that he was once invited to be a guest on James’ HBO program The Shop, which he accepted under two conditions. First, James had to be present during the taping. Second, the taping had to remain unedited, according to Smith.
“I know if I had told him to come on First Take, he wouldn’t do that because he views that as benefitting me,” Smith explained. “I know that if I wanted him to come on this podcast, he’d view that as benefitting me. Ladies and gentlemen, I’m offering to come on his podcast. Name the time and place, and I’ll show up. By my damn self. I was never taken up on that offer. Because it’s really easy to talk that talk like you got all the facts when I’m not there to respond. It’s another thing entirely if I’m there to refute all the bulls**t coming out of your mouth.”
As of now, LeBron James has yet to respond to Smith’s latest remarks.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
