Stephen A Smith reveals decade-long feud with LeBron James continues
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Stephen A. Smith still thinks about that courtside encounter with LeBron James and told a former NBA star why he felt “trapped” by the league’s all-time scoring leader at that moment.
Smith and James went viral at a Los Angeles Lakers game earlier this year; Smith confronted the former from his courtside seat to respond to Smith’s criticism of how the Lakers handled the superstar’s son, Bronny James.
Smith explained in March that the incident stemmed from televised criticism of Bronny.
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Stephen A. Smith and LeBron James still have some beef heading into the 2025-26 NBA season. (IMAGN)
“This wasn’t a basketball player. This was a parent. This was a father,” Smith said on ESPN at the time. “I can’t sit here and be mad at LeBron James about this or feel like I’m belittling him. By all accounts, he’s an absolutely wonderful family man and a father who cares very, very deeply about his son.”
During a recent episode of “7PM In Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony,” Smith reflected back on his moment with the New York Knicks legend and said the terms of the conversation with James and his on-camera appearance still didn’t sit right with him.
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“The day he approached me courtside was the day my contract was announced, leaving me at ESPN,” Smith explained on the podcast. “Go back and look at the camera angle… It’s 2025, there’s technology everywhere. TNT is a nationally televised game. How come we only have one angle and one angle is him and you see his face, but you see the back of my peanut head?”
Smith believes there could have been a lot more camera angles in the courtside meeting, given James’ star status.
“There’s no way you’re in an arena, you’re LeBron James and the only angle anyone sees is you hitting me directly in the face,” Smith added. “They don’t see any reaction. They don’t see anything. So is this an accident?”
ESPN host Stephen A. Smith said Thursday that he doesn’t think there is a Democratic candidate who can beat Vance/Rubio for the presidency in 2028. (Paras Griffin/Getty)
Smith delved into the topic of conspiracy here but did not hold back when expressing his feelings that this was potentially an orchestrated confrontation.
Asked if he felt cheated, Smith quickly replied, “I did it right.” “That’s how I feel, too. But it doesn’t matter, it’s okay because the next day when I go on air I say, ‘This is a father’s reaction to his son.'”
And in case you’re wondering, no, Smith and James did not reconcile. In fact, Smith made it clear how he felt about James.
Stephen A. Smith speaks on stage during the 2025 ForbesBLK Summit at the Ray Charles Center for the Performing Arts Morehouse College on October 9, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
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“I don’t like his very much, not at all,” he said. “This goes back over a decade. I’m not going to go into the details of what this man tried to do to me. You don’t understand how far this man will go… If it were up to him, I wouldn’t be where I am today. These are despicable things.”
There is a real tug of war between these two and it doesn’t look like there will be any fixes this week heading into the 2025-26 season.
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