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Stephen A. Smith says LeBron James confronting him was ‘weak’: ‘I was talking about you,’ not Bronny

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Stephen A. Smith thought LeBron James confronting him was “weak.”

He also thought it was “some bulls—.”

Following his initial confrontation with James during a heated exchange at the Knicks-Lakers game on Thursday, Smith shared further insights into the incident and its aftermath on a recent episode of “Gil’s Arena” podcast. Smith described that the Lakers legend moved close to him and continued shouting for him to cease speaking negatively about his son, pointing directly at himself as he spoke.

According to Smith, he had said, “Hey, let’s discuss this later,” but the individual replied angrily, saying, “No way! Absolutely not! Stop messing with my kid.” Smith then responded, “Alright, then,” and the person left.

James’ eldest child, Bronny, is not only his son but also a teammate of his. Last summer, the Lakers selected him with the 55th overall pick, making them the first father-son pair to play together on an NBA court during the opening game. Since then, Bronny has been dividing his time between the Lakers and the G League, managing 1.4 points per game in the NBA.

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It appears the video depicts Los Angeles Lakers’ superstar LeBron James explaining to former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Richard Jefferson the reason behind his displeasure towards ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith regarding his remarks about Bronny (LeBron’s son).

On the 29th of January, I couldn’t help but voice my thoughts following the “First Take” episode, a day after Bronny had an off day, scoring no points on five missed shots, despite playing over 15 minutes in a loss against the Philadelphia 76ers.

At that point, Smith expressed concern towards LeBron James, speaking as a parent: ‘LeBron, please stop.’ Everyone recognizes that Bronny James’s presence in the NBA is due to his father.

At last week’s game, Smith said, Bronny caught his eye during a first-quarter timeout.

In Smith’s words, “Bronny glanced at me with a sorrowful expression,” and he added, “I believe Father must have noticed it. The situation affected him deeply, causing him to approach me without restraint.

Previously, it emerged that Smith had signed a five-year, $100-million contract with ESPN on Thursday. Following the spread of the James incident video across the internet, Smith was instructed by his superiors at ESPN to discuss the matter. He addressed it during Friday’s broadcast of “First Take.

Smith stated, “The person who approached me wasn’t a professional basketball player; it was a parent – specifically, a father. I can’t harbor anger or feel disrespected by LeBron James for that reason.

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At Thursday’s Lakers match, Stephen A. Smith from ESPN reported that LeBron James addressed him due to remarks made about his son, Bronny, emphasizing the importance of careful speech regarding his family.

Apart from talking about the event on “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” Smith’s podcast, James has remained silent in public comments regarding the incident. However, over the weekend, videos emerged showing James discussing the matter privately with Richard Jefferson, a former teammate and current ESPN analyst.

When James mentions, “I’m appealing to you as a father,” it’s something he had previously shared with Jefferson prior to the Lakers’ away game against the Boston Celtics on Saturday, he seemed to imply.

Smith explained on Arenas’ podcast that this particular incident didn’t lead him to believe that James was truly upset about Smith commenting critically on Bronny’s court performance.

Essentially, Smith stated that the topic he had been discussing – a point that was later corroborated by his chat with Richard Jefferson – was actually him referring to the person in question as a father.

If James had truthfully expressed his complaints, Smith stated, he (Smith) would have responded differently.

Smith stated, ‘If he had spoken to me like that, I wouldn’t have been caught off guard.’ Instead, I would have immediately responded, ‘Indeed, I was. I was referring to you. You are the one who did it.’

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Charles Barkley, set to appear on ‘Inside the NBA’ on ESPN during the upcoming season, has labeled the network’s on-air personalities, particularly Kendrick Perkins, as “misinformed” or “ill-informed,” rather than using the term “idiots,” for their claim that the Lakers singlehandedly rescued the NBA season.

Smith stated: “Since he didn’t carry out the action, I responded, ‘Very well.’ You can move on. Important to note, I had just signed my contract and was courtside. That day was when it was made public. It’s all settled, everywhere. It was a nationally broadcast game. The cameras were recording. And I thought, ‘If I take any action, this will create quite the spectacle.’

Currently, we might feel as if we’re just casual observers, but let’s not forget our professional ties – I work for Walt Disney. In any given situation, even if I may have been justified in my actions towards James at the court, it wouldn’t have been appropriate. When I witnessed the tape of him conversing with Richard Jefferson on Saturday night in Boston, that was when I truly became angry because it served as confirmation.

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2025-03-13 01:01

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