ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith and Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James haven’t been on the best of terms. Following a heated exchange between the two, Smith has appeared on several media platforms to express his dislike for the Lakers forward.
During a recent appearance on the “7 PM in Brooklyn” podcast with Carmelo Anthony, Stephen A. Smith tore into LeBron James yet again, calling out the star for being fake.
“I don’t like his a**,” Smith stated. “Not a little bit. You do not understand the lengths this man will go to. This dates back more than a decade. I believe he’s one way publicly, he’s another way privately. He might not be interviewed, and he might not be quoted. But the things he says and the things he’s said to people has gotten back to me. The things he’s tried to do. If it were up to him, I wouldn’t be where I am today. It’s some low, low sh**.”
Stephen A. Smith continued by recounting the moment LeBron James “rolled up” on him during a Lakers game, adding that it was the day he renewed his contract with ESPN. While pointing to how the camera angles were set up to focus on James intimidating him courtside, Smith insinuated that he was being made to look bad in that moment.
“The last straw was not on him rolling up on me courtside,” Smith continued. “If you sat up there and said, ‘Yo, LeBron pissed off. He needs to talk to you, man to man.’ And I was in New York, what would I do? I’d be on the next plane to LA. And then you’re going to turn around and come on ESPN with Pat McAfee? You’re going to come on my channel, on a show that comes on after me, just to dog me? Nah.”
Smith reiterated that LeBron James’ attempts at changing the narrative without necessarily confronting him directly were extremely disrespectful.
“To try to paint me as somebody who would attack somebody’s family, knowing I’ve never done it, I can’t tell you how offensive I find that.”
While Stephen A. Smith’s comments may seem slightly over the top at first, there appears to be some basis in reality, regardless. According to excerpts from Yaron Weitzman’s book, “A Hollywood Ending: The Dreams and Drama of the LeBron Lakers”, former Lakers guard and nine-time All-Star Russell Westbrook had a similar reaction to LeBron James.
The book mentioned that Westbrook grew tired of James’ pretenses, even stating that he “hated that fake sh**”. In many ways, this could have been one reason for the eventual falling out between the two, leading up to the guard’s eventual departure from the Lakers.
Stephen A. Smith’s statement paints the Lakers’ superstar in a very different light. Given that the analyst has suggested that the forward hasn’t even reached out to apologize, it is unlikely that this feud will see a resolution any time soon.
