LeBron James responded to the ESPN Stephen A. Smith star in an interview on Wednesday with the colleague of the sports expert, Pat Mcafee, after a video of the Los Angeles Lakers star that confronted Smith appeared earlier this month.
James appeared in “The Pat Mcafee Show” and went to how the media cover the NBA.
He said Smith was in a “Taylor Swift Tour Run at this time” and seemed to make fun of how Smith approached the viral clip when he said he didn’t want to address it initially.
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Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James striker, on the right, leads around the Magic de Orlando, Franz Wagner (22) during the first half of March 24, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raux)
“Motherf — er, are you joking? If there is a person who could not wait until the video falls so you can address it is you … how really?”
Then, James got a little more serious.
“And another (thing). The whole point, the whole point was completely lost. Never in me … I would never allow people to talk about sport, criticize players about what they do on the court. That is their work: criticize or be in a position in which, ok, a guy is not doing … everything is part of the game. When you take it and when you do it personally, it is my job to protect my damn home, but it is not a home The players.
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LeBron James (23) and Bronny James (9) of the Los Angeles Lakers on the court for the first time during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Crypto.com Arena on October 22, 2024 in Los Angeles. (Allen Berezovsky/Getty images)
“I think many of the media, including him, and I know he will be happy like hell, he will be smiling from ear to ear when he heard me talk about him … how, relax brother.”
The dispute was for Smith’s comments about LeBron’s son Bronny. LeBron’s eldest son was an outstanding athlete of the high school who played a season at the USC while overcoming a cardiac arrest before he decided to become a professional.
The Lakers selected Bronny James in the draft last summer, and he and LeBron made history at the beginning of the season by becoming the first father-son duo to be together on the court.
Smith has said that Bronny James is only in the NBA “due to” LeBron. “The four -time NBA champion informed Smith that he did not like the comments.
Los Angeles Lakers striker, LeBron James, observes his teammates play during the first half against the San Antonio Spurs in Los Angeles on March 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
“That was not a basketball player who faced me. That was a father. That was a father,” Smith said earlier this month in ESPN. “I can’t sit here and be angry or feel belittled by LeBron James in that sense. For all reports, he is obviously a wonderful family man and a father who cares very, very deeply for his son.
“And, based on some of the comments I had heard, or I will say that I think he thought, clearly made an exception to some of the things he heard me say, and faced me about it.”
