Stephen A. Smith has revealed details of a courtside confrontation with LeBron James, describing the exchange as emotional and unnecessary.
During a recent episode of Gil’s Arena, Smith shared that James approached him during a timeout in the third quarter of a game and demanded he stop making comments about Bronny James.
“Yo, you got to stop talking sh*t about my son,” LeBron allegedly told Smith. “You got to stop f*cking with my son. That’s my son!”
Smith, who was seated courtside next to Curb Your Enthusiasm star Larry David and talent agency executive Ari Emanuel, said he was caught off guard by the exchange.
He initially responded by suggesting they talk later, but James was insistent, repeating his demand before walking away.
Smith acknowledged LeBron’s emotions as a father but criticized the manner in which he confronted him.
“I thought it was weak. I thought it was emotion. But in the moment, I knew I was listening to a father,” Smith said.
He clarified that he had no intention of addressing the incident publicly until it went viral, which led to ESPN executives urging him to speak on it.
“I didn’t have any intentions on talking about it until I woke up that morning and saw that the sh*t had gone viral. The bosses at ESPN [said], ‘Now you got to talk about it. This is you and him. You got to talk about it.’”
Smith emphasized that his previous comments were not directed at Bronny personally but at LeBron’s handling of his son’s basketball career.
He took issue with LeBron’s public stance on Bronny’s NBA future, particularly when the Lakers star suggested he would play for any team that drafted his son.
“This man was the one that said, ‘You want me – draft him. I’ll come play anywhere he’s at. It ain’t even about the money,’” Smith said.
He had previously warned LeBron against such statements, believing they placed unnecessary pressure on Bronny.
“If you do that sh*t, you’re bringing more pressure on your son. LeBron, stop. Stop doing this!” Smith recalled saying before Bronny entered the NBA.
The sports analyst also addressed LeBron’s past praise of Bronny, particularly when the 20-year-old was still in high school.
“He better than some of the NBA players right now,” LeBron had said at the time.
Smith pointed out that he pushed back against such claims, arguing they could create unrealistic expectations.
“If you go back and look at the tape, back then I said, ‘Stop. You can’t do this.’”
The controversy has led to pushback from NBA players, including Draymond Green, who Smith admitted has been upset with him over his stance.
Following the courtside confrontation, Smith was even more frustrated after seeing LeBron’s comments to Richard Jefferson in Boston.
“That was when I got really pissed because that was confirmation,” Smith said. He argued that LeBron’s explanation of their exchange misrepresented the situation.
Smith also explained why he chose not to escalate the incident at the time, noting that it could have created an even bigger controversy.
“It’s all over, all over everywhere. It’s a nationally televised game, the cameras are rolling and I’m like, ‘If I do anything, this [is] going to be a scene.’”
He added that his position at ESPN, which is owned by Disney, played a role in his decision to let the confrontation pass.
“I work for Walt Disney. And if I had gotten into some sh*t with him at courtside right there at that moment, no matter how right I would have been, it would have been wrong. And I was like, ‘I’m not going to do this.’”
The controversy stems from Bronny’s selection as the 55th pick by the Lakers in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Bronny has played limited minutes for Los Angeles, averaging 1.4 points in 4.2 minutes per game across 18 appearances.
However, he has performed significantly better in the NBA G League, averaging 17.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game for the South Bay Lakers.
Smith maintains that his critiques were about LeBron’s approach, not an attack on Bronny.
The incident highlights the complexities of balancing personal and professional relationships in the NBA.
