Nearly three weeks after confronting Stephen A. Smith during the Los Angeles Lakers’ 113-109 win over the New York Knicks, LeBron James took to ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ on Wednesday morning to break his silence on the incident, referring to the fallout as a ‘Taylor Swift tour run’ for the ESPN broadcaster.
The beef between James and Smith all started over comments Smith made regarding James’ son, Bronny. Smith originally said that Bronny should be in the G League his rookie year, claiming that he was not ready for NBA action. Specifically, on a Jan. 29 episode of Smith’s show ‘First Take,’ Smith insinuated that Bronny was only in the NBA because of his father. LeBron did not take those comments lightly, approaching Smith in the middle of a game during a timeout just a week later.
On Wednesday’s show, LeBron did not mention exactly what he said to Smith during that conversation, but he did note that he hasn’t been too fond of how Smith has reacted to the situation.
‘He’s like on a Taylor Swift tour run right now,’ James said. ‘It started off with, ‘I didn’t want to address it … but since the video came out I feel the need to address it.’ ‘
James didn’t believe that sentiment for one moment though. James said, ‘[Smith] couldn’t wait till the video comes out so [he] can address it.’
In James’ defense, Smith has been very open about the argument. During a recent interview on the ‘Gil’s Arena’ podcast, Smith called James ‘weak’ for the confrontation. He said, ‘I turn around and [LeBron]’s right here in my face and says, ‘Yo, you gotta stop talking (expletive) about my son [Bronny]. You gotta stop (expletive) with my son. That’s my son, that’s my son!”
Smith also claimed that he suggested he and James talk about it after the game but that James refused.
What was LeBron’s response?
LeBron claims that Smith misunderstood his reasoning for the confrontation.
‘He completely missed the whole point. The whole point,’ James said. ‘Never would I ever not allow people to talk about the sport and criticize players about what they do. That is your job to criticize, or to be in a position where if a guy’s not performing, you know? That’s 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.’
James also noted that he believes this beef between him and Smith has been very beneficial to Smith. ‘[Smith]’s gonna be smiling from ear to ear when he hears me talking about him,’ James said. ‘I know he’s gonna be happy as hell.’
Has Stephen A. Smith apologized for his statements?
In a way, yes.
On Thursday, March 20, Bronny James was forced to step up for the Lakers in the absence of several of their key players, including Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Dorian Finney-Smith, Rui Hachimura, and Jarred Vanderbilt. Although the Lakers lost by a hefty 29-point margin, Bronny James played well, finishing tied for the most points on the Lakers with 17, a career-high for the rookie. Bronny also set a career-high with five assists and matched his career-best with three rebounds.
Smith was impressed with Bronny’s play and took to ESPN the following day to offer him congratulations.
Smith did not flat out apologize but admitted he may have jumped the gun with his opinions on Bronny. ‘I saw an elevation in his poise and confidence,’ Smith said. ‘He didn’t look as nervous as he did in previous contests.’
He continued, ‘And if that kind of stuff continues, then indeed he’ll be in the league as a bona fide player sooner than later. One game doesn’t make that determination. You need to do more than that. But I wanted to make sure I emphasized that point.’
Stephen A. Smith’s latest response
Smith did not care for LeBron’s comments on ‘The Pat McAfee Show.’ He spent an entire hour of ‘The Stephen A. Smith Show’ not only defending himself from LeBron’s comments, but adding more context to the story.
You can watch the full video here, which may contain some strong language:
The most notable part of this entire show was Smith claiming he would’ve ‘immediately swung’ on LeBron if James had touched him. That likely wouldn’t have gone well for Smith. Smith himself even notes ‘I would have gotten my ass kicked.’ However, it does render the point that Smith is not backing down from his original sentiments.
Since the beginning, Smith has claimed that he never ‘disrespected’ Bronny with his statements, merely claiming that the rookie needed more time to develop in the G League. However, after LeBron’s statements on ESPN Wednesday morning, it was clear to Smith that LeBron did not see it the same way.
‘LeBron James is full of it,’ said Smith. ‘He is a liar. And he went on national television today and he lied again.’
Smith wasn’t just upset at LeBron for the statements, though. He also called out NBA pundits who have covered this entire beef, asking them ‘When are you going to hold (LeBron) accountable for the truth?’
Smith made it clear that his original statements regarding Bronny’s readiness for the NBA have not even really been about Bronny, but rather about LeBron. Smith claims that LeBron’s insistence on playing with his son and that his son was ready for NBA action have propelled Bronny into the crosshairs of media personalities ready to tell it like it is — that Bronny is ‘not ready for the NBA yet.’ Smith added that ‘based on what we’ve seen recently, (Bronny) could be (ready) soon,’ but that there’s nothing wrong with a second-round pick like Bronny having to work his way up through the ranks before reaching the top.
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