Draymond Green fired back at Stephen A. Smith after the ESPN analyst criticized LeBron James for confronting him over comments about Bronny James.
Speaking on The Draymond Green Show, Green called out Smith’s choice of words, particularly his use of “weak” to describe LeBron’s actions. Green argued that such language crosses a line, emphasizing that personal attacks are not part of basketball discourse.
“A lot of problems that guys have with media is … To call something that that man did bull—- and weak … Like those are words, where we grew up … Like you get hands put on you …,” Green said, via ClutchPoints.
Smith recently revealed details of a courtside exchange with LeBron during a game, where the Lakers star told him to stop making comments about his son. According to Smith, James approached him during a timeout and directly confronted him about his remarks.
Smith claimed he was initially caught off guard but later called LeBron’s reaction unnecessary. “I thought it was weak. I thought it was emotion,” he said on Gil’s Arena.
Green took issue with Smith’s response, questioning why the analyst would label LeBron’s actions as weak while simultaneously making comments about his parenting. “Calling another man weak? That’s just … Not basketball,” Green said.
He argued that Smith, as a sports commentator, should keep his discussions focused on basketball rather than making personal judgments about players and their families.
LeBron’s confrontation with Smith stemmed from the analyst’s past criticisms regarding how the four-time MVP has handled Bronny’s career. Smith had previously warned LeBron that his public statements about Bronny could place added pressure on the young guard.
Despite his critiques, Smith insisted that he never attacked Bronny personally and was only commenting on LeBron’s approach. However, Green suggested that Smith’s words carried a different weight when aired on national television.
