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At this point, it’s hard to debate LeBron James’ greatness, but his son, fellow Los Angeles Laker, and part-time G-Leaguer Bronny’s trajectory is still a sore spot as he tries to find his footing in the NBA.
James has clearly heard the nepotism chatter, and at Thursday night’s Lakers home game against the New York Knicks, he approached arguably the most popular sports pundit in the game, Stephen A. Smith, who was sitting courtside.
The conversation between the two—which didn’t appear to be too friendly—was on full display in a clip, and Smith took to First Take Friday morning to review the game tape.
“That was LeBron James coming up to be, unexpectedly, to confront me to make sure I mind what I say about his son. I can’t repeat the words because they ain’t suited for FCC airwaves,” Smith begins before admitting he wouldn’t have addressed it if it hadn’t gone viral.
Smith admits he doesn’t feel angry or slighted about the moment because he knows James approached him as a parent, not a basketball player.
However, he thinks the situation could have been handled more smoothly by King James and didn’t require public scrutiny because he has his phone number.
“His agent and friend Rich Paul has my number. Maverick Carter has my number. LeBron James knows how to get in contact with me if he wanted to. He never called,” Smith said. “I would have accepted that call, and if he’d wanted to see me, I would have flown out and had a conversation, man to man. But that is not what he elected to do. He walked up to me, and apparently, he felt like I was slighting his son.”
James’ approach could stem from a Stephen A. Smith Show segment from January, where he discusses the sensitivity regarding Bronny’s play and how playing him in big games is unfair when he needs more time to develop.
See how social media is reacting to the latest disagreement between James and Smith below.