Stephen A. Smith recently opened up about a tense exchange with LeBron James during a game against the New York Knicks, revealing how the Lakers star confronted him over comments he made about LeBron’s son, Bronny James.
Smith, who was sitting courtside during the game, shared his side of the confrontation, explaining that it occurred during a timeout in the third quarter. “LeBron has some choice words for me in regards to comments I’ve made prior about him in regards to his son Bronny,” Smith said.
The sports analyst clarified rumors that LeBron had used harsh language, stating, “People were talking about LeBron called me out my name or somebody I saw somebody said he called me a b*tch, somebody said he called me a punk and none of that is true.” Instead, LeBron confronted him directly, saying, “Stop effing with my son. That’s my effing son. Stop effing with my son.”
Smith described the exchange as intense but not physically threatening. “I said, ‘What?’ He repeated, ‘Nah nah nah man, straight up man to man, real talk, stop effing with my son,'” Smith continued. “I saw how furious he was, and I said, ‘We could talk about it later.’ He wasn’t having it. He said, ‘Nah, eff that, eff that, stop effing with my son.'”
The confrontation ended with LeBron walking away after reiterating his message. Smith understood the gravity of the moment and acknowledged that LeBron was addressing his previous remarks.
“I knew what he was talking about,” Smith reflected. “I’ve spoken about this before. I heard that not many, not all, but a few players were upset at me about that.” Smith also pointed out that Draymond Green, in particular, has been upset with him over the comments, leading to a strained relationship between the two.
The controversy started with Smith’s public analysis of Bronny James, who was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers as the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The 20-year-old, who has appeared in 18 games for the Lakers, is averaging 1.4 points in 4.2 minutes per game.
While his minutes have been limited at the NBA level, Bronny has been performing much better in the NBA G League with the South Bay Lakers. He is averaging 17.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 30.4 minutes per game.
