The beef between media mega-star Stephen A. Smith and NBA legend LeBron James is well-documented by now, but many questions have been left unanswered about where things went wrong. In a recent appearance on ‘In Depth’ with Graham Bensinger, Smith spoke candidly about his history with the four-time NBA champion and held nothing back on his legacy in the sport of basketball.
“We don’t like each other. The world needs to know that,” said Smith. “I hope he’s watching. I think he crossed the line with the incident involving his son. I don’t think I did what he said I was doing. I thought that was unfair and a low blow. Time heals everything. As I see his career dwindling, it’s important that everyone knows that I know how great he is. I know how great he has been for the game of basketball. Anybody who has been that great, people like me have benefited because he gives us something to talk about. He’s provided a certain amount of entertainment that has made an exponential number of lives better. Just because he and I have a difference, doesn’t mean he’s not a good man.”
LeBron James is usually cordial and professional with reporters, but he has been known to speak out against them before, just as he did with Brian Windhorst, whom he exposed in a very public and brutal statement. This situation with Stephen A. is something else entirely, and seemingly far more personal.
While Smith has always been critical of LeBron over the years, the peak of their fallout occurred back in March of last year, after Smith called out LeBron “as a father” over setting his son up for failure in the NBA. Then, during a game against the Knicks at the Crypto.com Arena, James confronted Smith, who was sitting courtside, to tell him to back off and stop speaking ill of his family.
The scene went viral online and has sparked several follow-up statements from Smith, where he revealed the full extent of his beef with the NBA legend. Now, Stephen A. wants to make it clear that his personal feelings do not impact his judgment of LeBron as a player. With a resume as a four-time champion, four-time MVP, and 22x All-Star, not even Smith can deny James’ greatness, but it doesn’t mean he’ll ever forget all the reasons why he’s grown to resent the NBA legend.
