LeBron James is not a fan of the narrative Stephen A. Smith has spun about their heated confrontation. The Los Angeles Lakers forward angrily approached the “First Take” host during the March 6 matchup against the New York Knicks.
As observed by fans, the Olympian made it clear to the sports commentator that he did not want his son, Bronny James, 40, mentioned in Smith’s NBA breakdowns.
Ahead of tipoff for the Lakers-Celtics game on March 9, the basketball icon and “NBA on ESPN” co-host Richard Jefferson briefly discussed the viral incident. Video of the banter surfaced online, shedding some insight on how James feels about his nemesis’ account of the moment.
Audio in the spliced footage suggests that Jefferson asked his former teammate about the ordeal. James can be heard saying, “That’s the only thing I’m tripping…I don’t give a f—k” and “Once he talks about how ‘I’m pleading you as a father,’ I can’t.”
Smith offered up his recap of the encounter on the March 7 episode of “First Take” as well as on “The Stephen A. Smith Show” on YouTube.
On the latter, he said, “That wasn’t a basketball player talking to me last night. That was a dad. He rolled up on me as a father. That was not a basketball player talking to me.”
A similar sentiment to what he shared on his televised show. He also critically unleashed on the league’s star player for making his son a target of criticism to serve his dream of playing on the same team as his son before retiring.
Bronny was drafted 55th by the Lakers in 2024 after one season at the University of Southern California. Smith is among the many critics who believe the 20-year-old is not yet equipped with the skills to succeed in the NBA.
However, with James’ new input on the matter made public, fans have expressed a new range of reactions have developed.
According to one tweeter, “Once you judge a man as a father you have crossed the line. That’s why LeBron approached him about it.” On YouTube, where James and Jefferson’s audio can also be found, someone suggested that the four-time champion’s behavior has only intensified scrutiny of Bronny.
“This is like a soccer dad sticking up for his son. But his son is 22!! He thinks he’s helping – but he has to let his son stand on his own,” wrote one viewer.
A third commenter typed, “LeBron always with the drama, his ego is out of control, thinks this makes him a great dad, please retire so Bronny can have peace.”
James has been in the league for 22 years and has not announced plans to retire despite being the oldest player on the court.
