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The viral confrontation between LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith seems to have eternal effects.
After a Los Angeles Lakers game against the New York Knicks in March, the two had what Smith called an “unexpected” incident in which the top scorer of all NBA’s time expressed her concerns about Smith’s comments about her son, Bronny.
Smith had criticized the use of Bronny’s Lakers and the apparent handling of the situation by his father, but Smith said the “first shot” on Wednesday that there was an additional reason for the interaction in court.
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Stephen A. Smith, on the left, and LeBron James. (IMAGN)
“I have nothing to say about that. I don’t like it, and he doesn’t like it …” he said, through horrible ads. “He hid behind his son, tried to do something from nothing, as if he was chasing his son, which was not. The real problem was that we did not like it. And he used it as an excuse to confront me. I understood it.”
However, Smith said he is maintaining his personal feelings about James away from his analysis.
“He is one of the best players he has lived. I will show him that respect, and I will cover it objectively. When he does very well, I will applaud. When I do not do it very well, I will not applaud.”
LeBron James, #23, and Bronny James, #9 of the Los Angeles Lakers, in defense during the second quarter against the 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 among a couple of parents, rather than an exchange between a Basketball player and a sports television star.
Smith also said he would be open to having more discussions with James in private, saying that the Lakers star “knows how to get in touch with (he) if he wanted.”
LeBron James, #23, and Bronny James, #9 of the Los Angeles Lakers, on the court for the first time during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Crypto.com Arena on October 22, 2024 in Los Angeles. (Allen Berezovsky/Getty images)
Smith added that if an individual discussion had occurred with James, the sports commentator would have told the NBA MVP four times that “he would never speak negatively” about Bronny, who divided the time into the NBA and G-League during the 2024-25 season.
