Source: MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images / Getty
The never-ending back and forth between LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith is neverending.
James is used to Smith critiquing his play as he fights for the GOAT status, but his opinion on his son Bronny’s talent boiled over into James approaching him at a game.
Smith spoke candidly about the tense courtside interaction on the most recent episode of Gilbert Arenas Gil’s Arena podcast.
“I turn around, and he’s right here in my face and says, ‘Yo, you gotta stop talking sh-t about my son. You gotta stop f-cking with my son. That’s my son, that’s my son!’” Smith said.
Now, days after the incident, Smith can see that James was speaking to him as nothing more than a protective father but still doesn’t like his approach.
“I thought it was weak. I thought it was some bullsh-t,” Smith said.
Smith thinks James was prompted to leave the huddle during a timeout to speak to him because earlier in the game, Bronny glanced at Smith with a “sad look on his face,” and Smith thinks that set him off.
Still, the ESPN pundit believes James “misrepresented the argument” because when he spoke with former teammate Richard Jefferson after the game, he admitted that it was more about him questioning his parenting skills.
Now, if that was the original argument, Smith was ready to defend his position since James touted Bronny’s abilities, including two years ago when he tweeted that he was better than some basketball players.
“…Because what he was really talking about, which was confirmed with his conversation with Richard Jefferson, is that I was talking about him as a father. Had he said that to me, I wouldn’t have been thrown off. I would’ve came right back at him — ‘yes I was, I was talking about you, you did this sh-t,’” Smith said. “I was talking about your ass — you. You did this. All of us as reporters, as a league, as an NBA franchise, had to sit back and be quiet and capitulate to your sh-t; you did that.”
Though there might be bad blood between the two sports figures, Smith is still confident that Bronny will carve his own path in the league and have a solid NBA career.
See how social media is reacting to the latest update in the Smith-James saga.