WS Chronicle

In a scene that was almost as strange as the Will Smith and Chris Rock Oscar slap fiasco, LeBron James confronted ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith last week during the Los Angeles Lakers game. The interaction between the two men appeared heated and James appeared to be very upset with Smith. 

Thank goodness there was no physical component to this interaction and the two men left it at just words. Smith confirmed the rumors when he broke down the conversation he had with Smith on Friday’s episode of “First Take.”  Smith said James confronted him about some of the comments Smith said about James’ son Bronny. 

I am not sure about what specific comments James was upset about; however, I remember a segment on First Take where Smith was somewhat critical of how Bronny James was given a free pass to the NBA due to the status his father has in the league. 

I don’t think Smith went overboard or was too harsh on Bronny. He actually commended the young man on his game and said he feels Bronny will be a solid NBA player once he figures out what the NBA is all about. He never said Bronny doesn’t have what it takes to succeed in the league, all he was saying is the added pressure LeBron put on his son by basically telling other teams not to draft him and apparently force the Lakers into drafting him would not bode well for the young man long term. 

So, for James to confront Smith in that manner was out of line in my opinion. That was a conversation that could have been held behind closed doors and both men could have said their peace and conversed about it like men.  Instead, I feel like James wanted to intimidate Smith and belittle him by confronting him during the game. 

“That was LeBron James coming up to me, unexpectedly I might add, to confront me about making sure I mind what I say about his son,” said Smith when explaining the situation to First Take host Molly Qerim. “I can’t repeat the words because they aren’t suited for FCC airwaves. That’s what he was doing. 

“That wasn’t a basketball player confronting me,” he continued. “That was a parent. That was a father.” 

I get that aspect of what James was doing. Any father would protect their son or daughter when they have been attacked, but in this case, there was nothing for James to protect Bronny from. Smith was simply giving his take on Bronny and how he felt Bronny would best succeed in the league with less pressure on him as he already has enough by simply being LeBron’s son. 

Smith expanded on the confrontation during his podcast, “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” on YouTube. Smith did confirm James never called him out of his name and could tell James was upset. 

“He approached me during the game, and he said, ‘Stop effing with my son! That’s my effing son! Stop effing with my son!’” Smith stated. “I saw how furious he was, and I said, ‘We can talk about this later,’ [He said], ‘Nah F that!  Stop effing with my son!’ I said, ‘All right, dog. Fine,’ and he walked away. That’s all he said.” 

Smith took the high road on First Take, along with on his podcast. He admitted he knew which comments enraged James and has received some criticism from players about it, namely Draymond Green. You can take Green’s comments with a grain of salt because some of his viewpoints are totally off base. Smith went on to say he was “sad” about what transpired but does respect what James did as a father himself. 

“I’m not here to blame LeBron James,” said Smith. “That wasn’t a basketball player talking to me last night. That was a dad. He rolled up on me as a father.” 

I am glad Smith took the high road and didn’t condemn James’ actions publicly. I hate to say this in 2025, but there are people out there who were hoping this situation turned violent or hoping the situation was more heated because of their disdain for Smith and their hate for James.   

As a sportswriter, I honestly side with Smith on this encounter due to the fact he was simply doing his job when commenting about Bronny. I applaud Smith for keeping his composure during the meeting of the two men and said he felt the game was not the place for them to hash things out. 

“I was not going to engage in a confrontation at that particular moment,” he said.   

I don’t agree with Smith on most issues, but I do here. He has handled this situation like a grown man should and closed with what he would have said if James asked to have a private conversation. 

“I would have said to LeBron James, ‘I never would speak negatively about your son. I was talking about you [LeBron] …  I wish him nothing but the best. I hope that he flourishes into an NBA star.”