March 6 2025, California, inside Crypto Area is where star NBA basketball player LeBron James verbally confronted journalist and sports commentator Stephen A. Smith. Even though the game was only in the third quarter, James did not let that stop him from defending his child.
This season the 40 year old Lakers’ superstar became the first player in NBA history to play with their own child in a game, and it was not just coincidence they both ended up on the same team. In 2023 LeBron said “I need to be on the floor with my boy, I got to be on the floor with Bronny” (ESPN). This was one of the many quotes LeBron told reporters when asked about Bronny playing in the NBA. LeBron even went on to say “If you want me, draft Bronny”, proving that LeBron was set on playing at least one season with his son, whatever it took (TheAthletic).
Luckily for LeBron, the Lakers drafted Bronny with the 55 pick in the NBA draft. This was surprising to some, as many people thought Bronny should have not been drafted that high, or even drafted at all. This obviously started some controversy due to fans speculating that LeBron had a major influence on Bronny’s draft rise.
Talk show host Stephen A. Smith had some words on Bronny’s path to the NBA, saying “we all know Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad” (USAToday). LeBron did not take kindly to Smith’s words, and was seen confronting Steven A. Smith courtside during the Lakers’ 113-109 victory over the New York Knicks.
After the video of the confrontation went viral over the internet, Stephen A. Smith utilized his podcast First Take to say “That was LeBron James coming up to me, unexpectedly I might add, to confront me about making sure that I mind what I say about his son”. Smith never went into detail about what exactly was said to him, but he added “That wasn’t a basketball player confronting me, that was a parent, that was a father”. He went on to defend himself by saying “If we had had that conversation I would have said to LeBron James, I never would speak negatively about your son, I was talking about you” and he goes on to clarify these words by explaining that Bronny is just a rookie, and it will take some time to adjust to the NBA, but he was talking about the position LeBron put him in.
Throughout the segment, Smith seemed to hold no animosity for James, but after Smith’s guest appearance on Gilbert Arenas’s podcast Gil’s Arena, when asked about this situation, Stephen A. said “It’s weak, I thought it was some bullshit”.
This overall situation is nothing new for Stephen A, who is well known for being harsh on players, but this may be his biggest “rivalry” yet.
