Sports talk show host Stephen A. Smith has been inevitably asked about the status of his relationship with NBA superstar LeBron James. A few days ago, he responded to the same question on “The Pivot” podcast with Ryan Clark. On Monday, Smith faced the same inquiry on the “7PM in Brooklyn” show with Carmelo Anthony.
Smith prefaced his comment by saying that he would say “s**t” he had never said before and promised not to hold back.
The “First Take” host went on:
“I don’t like his a**, not a little bit. … This dates back more than a decade. I’m not gonna go into detail the s**t this man has tried to do to me. You do not understand the lengths this man would go to. I believe he is one way publicly, he is another way privately.”
The first confrontation between Stephen A. Smith and LeBron James happened on March 6 during a game between the LA Lakers and the New York Knicks. James left a team huddle to blast Smith for allegedly taking shots at James’ son, Bronny James.
Smith told Anthony that the four-time NBA MVP planned the confrontation:
“The day that he rolled up on me courtside, it was the day my [$100 million] contract was announced [and] that I had stayed with ESPN. …. This is 2025, we got technology everywhere. TNT is a nationally televised game. How is it we got one angle, and the only angle you see was of him and his face, but you see the back of my peanut head?”
The two have been trading barbs since then. When LeBron James appeared on the Pat McAfee Show in late March, he trolled the sports insider. James said that Smith was “smiling from ear to ear” because he talked about the ESPN anchor. Smith responded on “The Pivot” that what James did was the “last straw” for him.
Stephen A. Smith told Carmelo Anthony that his issue with LeBron James goes back “decades.” The sports journalist continued to give context to his beef with the NBA’s all-time leading scorer:
“The things he’s tried to do. If it were up to him, I wouldn’t be where I am at today. It’s some low, low s**t.”
When asked to confirm if James wanted him off the air, Smith refused to go into details because he said things would get “uglier.”
So far, James has not responded to Stephen A. Smith’s comments over the past two interviews. No one would be surprised though if the LA Lakers superstar would push back at some point.
