The ESPN star, Stephen A. Smith, spoke at length about his viral interaction on the ground with LeBron James Last week, and initially seemed empathetic about his reproach; However, the popular sports analyst has expanded his thoughts this week, calling for the approach of the superstar of the Lakers on the “weak” problem.
The lively confrontation took place during the third quarter Victory in extension of the Lakers On the New York Knicks on Thursday. He apparently focused on James’ problem with Smith’s comments on Bonny James.
Stephen A. Smith on ESPN NBA Countdown Live takes place in Intuit Dome on October 23, 2024. (Kirby Lee-Imagn images)
The next day, during an appearance on “First Take”, Smith described the interaction of “unexpected” but said that he was not unpleasant towards James because he understood the position in which he was.
CLICK HERE for more sports cover on Foxnews.com
“He was not a basketball player who had confronted me, he was a parent, he was a father. I cannot sit here and be angry or feel despised by LeBron James in this regard. According to all the accounts, he is obviously a wonderful father of the family and a father who cares very, very deeply of his son, and on the basis of some of the comments he had heard – These things.
However, another James viral video discussing the confrontation with the former teammate and current ESPN broadcaster Richard Jefferson rekindled the question.
“I thought it was weak, I thought it was bulls — But for the moment, I knew that I was listening to a father,” said Smith on Tuesday during an appearance on the “Gil’s Arena” podcast.
LeBron James, n ° 23 of Los Angeles Lakers, turned during the match against the San Antonio Spurs on January 13, 2025 in Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. (Adam Pantozzi / NBAE via Getty Images)
Stephen a Smith says that Bronny James was a focal point of the confrontation of the court “ unexpected ” LeBron James
Smith reiterated that he had been caught by the confrontation, and he developed the conversation he had with James.
“He said, ‘Yo, you have to stop talking about my son. You have to stop f — Ing with my son – it’s my son. This is my son.”
Smith said that the initial confrontation concerned James “thought” that Smith said about his son, which is why he was surprised. However, the conversation with Jefferson was focused on the real criticism of Smith, who focused on James’ push so that his son was written and played in the league as a recruit before being ready.
“I thought he had distorted the argument, I was happy that he had done it,” continued Smith. “Because what he was really talking about, which was confirmed by his conversation with Richard Jefferson – is that I was talking about him as a father. If he had told me that, I would not have been thrown.
LeBron James, n ° 23, and Bronny James, n ° 9 of the Los Angeles Lakers, on the field for the first time in the match against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Crypto.com Arena on October 22, 2024 in Los Angeles. (Allen Berezovsky / Getty Images)
Bronny James was drafted from the USC in the second round of the NBA 2024 NBA draft. He appeared in 18 games this season and has an average of 1.4 points, 0.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.
