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The viral confrontation between LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith seems to have eternal effects.
After a Los Angeles Lakers match against New York Knicks back in March, the two had what Smith called an “unexpected” incident in which NBA’s leading scores expressed his concern about Smith’s remarks about his son, Bronny.
Smith had been critical of Lakers’ use of Bronny and his father’s apparent handling of the situation, but Smith said on Wednesday’s “first roof” that there was a further reason for the court’s interaction.
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Stephen A. Smith, Left and LeBron James. (IMagn)
“I have nothing to say about it. I don’t like him and he doesn’t like me …” he said via terrible advertising. “He hid behind his son, tried to make something out of nothing, as if I had his son, which I wasn’t. The real question was that we didn’t like each other. And he used it as an excuse to confront me. I got it.”
However, Smith said he keeps his personal feelings over James away from his analysis of him.
“He is one of the greatest players who has ever lived. I want to show him that respect and I will cover him objectively. When he is doing well, I welcome. When he does not do well, I do not welcome.”
LeBron James, #23 and Bronny James, #9 of Los Angeles Lakers, to defense in the second quarter against Minnesota Timberwolves in Crypto.com Arena on October 22, 2024 in Los Angeles. (Harry How/Getty Images)
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At the time of the incident, Smith suggested that the interaction had been between a few fathers, more than an exchange between a Basketball player And a sports -TV star.
Smith also said he would be open to having further discussions with James privately and said the Lakers star “knows how to get in touch with (him) if he wanted to.”
LeBron James, #23 and Bronny James, #9 of Los Angeles Lakers, on the field for the first time during the match against Minnesota Timberwolves in Crypto.com Arena on October 22, 2024 in Los Angeles. (Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
Smith added that if a one-on-one discussion happened to James, the sports commentator would have told the four-time NBA MVP that he “would never speak negatively” about Bronny, who shared the time in NBA and G-League throughout the season 2024-25.
