Stephen A. Smith Sends Hateful Message to LeBron James for Allegedly Sabotaging his Career

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paul White | Last updated Aug 23, 2025 9:00 AM ET

There has always appeared to be some friction between ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James. Although the king has been one of the biggest media darlings of the century, Smith has always been one of his bigger critics.

The relationship between the two only worsened earlier this year when the “First Take” host called out James’ parenting and said on live television that his son, Bronny James, didn’t deserve to have an NBA roster spot.

The awkward situation culminated in one of the wildest altercations in league history, when the four-time champion approached Smith co urtside before the Lakers’ matchup against the New York Knicks back in March and told him to keep his son’s name out of his mouth.

The two have exchanged a few lighter jabs at each other since, but nothing has caught the public’s eye quite like their courtside feud. However, Smith mentioned James once again Friday morning on “The Dan Le Batard Show,” where he said, “I don’t like LeBron... and it’ll probably stay that way forever.”

Stephen A. Smith:

“I don’t like LeBron… and it’ll probably stay that way forever. Things have gone on behind my back, trying to ruin my reputation and integrity.”

(via @LeBatardShow) pic.twitter.com/AlyKYXwMl3
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) August 22, 2025

Smith had refrained from directly saying he doesn’t like James until now, which is an unprecedented action taken by a media member. The 21-time All-Star has had more notable feuds with media members in the past, but none of them have ever gotten quite this far.

Smith claims that James has tried to destroy his respect and integrity, but it’s unclear when, how, or if this ever truly happened. The future Hall-of-Famer has never been accused of something that heinous, but it is glaringly obvious that the agency who represents him, Klutch Sports Group, has had their fingerprints on a bunch of shady dealings around the league.

If the ESPN host’s assertion is credible at all, it could be James’ agency who has commissioned a smear campaign, but the claim remains unfounded.

It’s unlikely that James will respond because prior to the conversation with Smith, he had never called out one of his critics before. But the statement just adds another dynamic to a peculiar and unique saga between two of the largest presences in their respective fields.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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