Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs The NBA world has been rocked by the ongoing drama between Los Angeles Lakers star forward LeBron James and longtime analyst Stephen A. Smith.More news: Lakers’ LeBron James Roasts Stephen A. Smith with Taylor Swift ComparisonEverything started when Smith went on his morning ESPN Show on Jan. 28 and pleaded with James to stop allowing his son, Bronny, to be exposed in the NBA. Bronny has been a hot topic around the league since he was drafted, with many believing he never should have entered the NBA.”I am pleading with LeBron James as a father, stop this. Stop this. We all know Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad…you’re exposing your son like this
James didn’t take very kindly to these comments from Smith and approached him at a recent Lakers game on the sidelines. The conversation was about Bronny and how James was defending his son.Smith said he wasn’t angry about the situation and understood because it was a father defending his son, not just a basketball player.”That was LeBron James coming up to me, unexpectedly I might add, to confront me about making sure I mind what I say about his son. I can’t repeat the words because they ain’t suited for FCC airwaves. That’s what he was doing. Now, I thought long and hard about this over the last few hours because I had no intention of talking about this at all and the reason why is because it was a one-on-one, I wouldn’t say conversation but it was a one-on-one confrontation…that wasn’t a basketball player confronting me, that was a parent, that was a father. And I can’t sit here and be angry or feel slighted by LeBron James in any way.”
LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers in action against the LA Clippers at Crypto.com Arena on March 02, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers in action against the LA Clippers at Crypto.com Arena on March 02, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images
Smith then proceeded to continue talking about everything, calling James “weak” for how he acted. The longtime NBA personality made multiple appearances across different networks to get his point across.Everything then seemed to die down, but James reignited the feud between the two men while appearing on The Pat McAfee Show this week. James read Smith to filth, and everything came back up.”He’s like on a Taylor Swift tour run right now… It 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.’ M*****f***** are you kidding me? If there’s one person that couldn’t wait until the video drop so you could address it, it’s your ass. And he completely, like, missed the point. The whole point.”Smith also added that if James had touched him during the initial confrontation, he would have “swung” on the NBA superstar.”And let me state for the record while we bring up that, let me assure you it wouldn’t have gone down like that. I would have gotten my ass kicked because if that man put his hands on me I would’ve immediately swung on him. Immediately. That I’m not going to tolerate.”James continued by making an epic troll social media post of Smith’s old boxing highlights.
Smith then fired back with more comments about James, continuing the beef between the two men.”That’s how petty you’ve become?… When has LeBron ever done something like that?… This man is in his feelings. I wonder why? Could it be because I don’t believe you’re the GOAT?”Smith also claimed that James never attended the funeral services of the late Jobe Bryant. This was a claim that he took back a few hours later, apologizing for. Stephen A Smith Apologizes For Claiming LeBron James Skipped Kobe Bryant MemorialAll of this comes back to James defending his son from comments that he felt crossed a line. James has made a career out of not listening to critics, but ever since his son entered the NBA, the gloves have come off.Smith got the last comment in this ongoing feud, and it remains to be seen if James will respond. But the discourse from this has changed everything around the NBA over the past few months.More NBA news:Pelicans Back Up LeBron James by Taking Major Shot at Stephen A SmithStephen A Smith Makes Wild Claim Lakers’ LeBron James Didn’t Attend Kobe MemorialStephen A Smith Fires Back at LeBron James After Epic Troll PostFor more on the Lakers, LeBron James, and the NBA at large, head over to Newsweek Sports.
