Stephen A. Smith confirmed he was confronted by LeBron James after Thursday’s Los Angeles Lakers game, responding to the NBA superstar after a video that showed James appearing irritated during a courtside exchange with Smith went viral on social media by the morning.
Smith offered a lengthy breakdown of the situation at the beginning of ESPN’s ‘First Take’ on Friday, emphasizing that James only spoke about Smith’s comments concerning Bronny James. Smith is among those critical of how James’ son reached the NBA this season with the Lakers, and specifically targeted LeBron James’ role in the situation.
‘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,’ Smith explained to host Molly Qerim. ‘I can’t repeat the words because they aren’t suited for FCC airwaves. That’s what he was doing.’
‘That wasn’t a basketball player confronting me,’ Smith added. ‘That was a parent. That was a father.’
James briefly approached Smith after the Lakers’ 113-109 win over the New York Knicks Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena, appearing to speak animatedly to Smith and walking away with a scowl on his face. Smith said he was sitting with Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel and Larry David. The incident occurred just hours after reports surfaced that Smith had agreed to a new $100-million contract with ESPN.
Smith previously said James’ representatives at Klutch Sports reached out to him about his criticism of Bronny James. As James’ son struggled last month, Smith pleaded on air for James to ‘Stop this’ because ‘we all know Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad.’
Bronny James has played minimally during 18 NBA appearances for the Lakers as a rookie, while also spending time with the franchise’s G League team. Smith noted Friday he and LeBron James have not had a good relationship for years, but ‘neither of us lose sleep over it.’
Smith insisted, however, that how James approached him Thursday night did not bother him, though he would have preferred if James had requested a private conversation to air his grievances. Smith did not, however, back off his stance.
‘I wasn’t talking about Bronny. I was really, really talking about him because of the position that Bronny was in,’ said Smith, noting he stood by his original comments on the situation. ‘But I really understood where he was coming from. He was very, very upset. I could tell. He could have called me. I’d have come to see him. I’d have had a conversation with him. He could have been just as upset face-to-face, man-to-man, as opposed to being courtside at the game.
‘I had no idea everybody saw it until I woke up this morning, but it is what it is,’ Smith added. ‘And, in the end, like I said, as a father, I get it. I’m not offended. I’m not insulted. I don’t have any animosity, I have no animus towards LeBron James for this, nothing like that.’