LeBron James fired fire on ESPN star Stephen A. Smith in a Wednesday interview with sports critic Pat McAfee after Smith's video of the Los Angeles Lakers star that surfaced earlier this month.
James appeared on The Pat McAfee Show, referring to how the media covers the NBA.
He said that Smith was on the “Taylor Swift Tour Run Now” and when he first said he didn't want to deal with it, it seemed like he was ocking how Smith worked on the viral clip.
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The Los Angeles Lakers drive Orlando Magic Forward Franz Wagner (22) on March 24, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. (AP Photo/John Rouse)
“Motherf—- er, are you going to tease me? If there's someone who couldn't wait until the video drops, you'll be able to deal with it.
James then got a little more serious.
“And another thing. He completely missed the full point, the whole point. In my opinion, I never allow people to talk about sports and never criticize what they're doing on the court. That's your job.
The Thunder will be the first team to reach 60 NBA wins this season.
Los Angeles James (23) and Los Angeles James (9) made their first appearance in court on October 22, 2024 during a match against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena Arena. (Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
“I think a lot of the media, including him, will make him happy like hell.
The conflict took place over Smith's remarks regarding LeBron's son, Bronnie. LeBron's longest son was an outstanding high school athlete who played one season at USC while overcoming cardiac arrest before deciding to become a professional.
The Lakers chose Bronnie James in last summer's draft, and he and LeBron made history early in the season, becoming the first father-son duo to be on the court together.
Smith says Bronnie James is in the NBA “for LeBron.” The four-time NBA champion informed Smith that he didn't like the comments.
The Los Angeles Lakers will be watching his teammates play in the first half of the match against the San Antonio Spurs of Los Angeles on March 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
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“It wasn't a basketball player who stood up to me. It was a parent. It was a father,” Smith told ESPN earlier this month. “I can't sit here and be angry, or be offended by LeBron James, or be neglected. In all accounts, he is clearly a great family man and father who cares so deeply about his son.
“And I think I thought he'd heard, or based on some of the comments he'd heard — or to make a clear exception to some of the things I'd heard, and he confronted me about it.”
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