If you have been on the internet over the last couple of days, you are likely aware of the escalating drama between LeBron James and ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith. The ongoing feud has piqued the interest of not just Los Angeles Lakers fans, but everyone who follows anything to do with the NBA.
Let's give some context: Back on March 6, the Lakers picked up a home win at Crypto.com Arena over the New York Knicks. Stephen A. Smith was in attendance, and LeBron made a point to confront Smith over a comment he had made previously.
On Jan. 29, Smith said this live on the ESPN airwaves: “I am pleading with LeBron James as a father: stop this. Stop this ... We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad.” James clearly took issue with this, and opted to approach Smith about it in person.
“I turn around and he’s right here in my face and says, ‘Yo, you gotta stop talking s--- about my son [Bronny]," Smith said on the Gil's Arena podcast. "You gotta stop f------ with my son. That’s my son, that’s my son!’”
Stephen A. Smith says LeBron staged the entire incident
Now, with the incident several weeks in the past, it was brought up again during LeBron's interview on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday. James did not take issue with the criticism of Bronny as a player, but he felt that Smith crossed the line with comments that felt more personal.
"Never would I ever not allow people who talk about the sport to criticize players about what they do on the court. That is your job to criticize," James said. "When you take it and get personal with it, it’s my job not only to protect my damn household but protect the players." Now, Smith has responded once again, this time making a bold assertion - he believes LeBron staged the incident.
Pulling up the clip on his self-named show, Stephen A. breaks down what happens in the video. "Watch, ladies and gentlemen, and you see it for yourself," he says. "Notice how LeBron is in my face, and right when he finishes, he looks past me right at the camera that was filming it." Smith notes that James could have made this a conversation behind closed doors knowing that he was going to be in attendance, but he chose to do it in public for this reason.
Does Stephen A. have a point? Possibly, but my main question is this - if LeBron planned this all ahead of time, why would he out himself by intentionally looking at the camera? We will likely never know how this came about for certain, but one thing is for sure: this beef is not going away anytime soon.
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