Mandatory Credit: Stephanie Lecocq/Reuters via Imagn Images

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver Weighs In On LeBron James-Stephen A. Smith Feud

Originally posted on The Spun | By Divij Kulkarni | Last updated Mar 27, 2025 11:19 PM ET

The NBA's news cycle has been dominated by the back and forth between LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith this week. After LeBron went on The Pat McAfee Show and put the First Take star on blast, Stephen A. spent Thursday going off about the King and getting personal.

The entire situation has gotten a little bit out of hand, and everyone would benefit from both parties taking a step back. However, some relevant issues have been brought up regarding the state of how the NBA is covered. And that's been important for the Commissioner, Adam Silver himself, to weigh in.

Silver on the recent war of words between you know who: “Sometimes it seems that in other sports that I'm a fan of, and when I watch the coverage, particularly around the games, it seems to be more celebratory.”
— Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) March 27, 2025

“Sometimes it seems that in other sports that I'm a fan of, and when I watch the coverage, particularly around the games, it seems to be more celebratory. But of course, we'd like to focus to be on the play on the floor, and I'm particularly feel protective of our players, of course, and but I recognize that there's a cottage industry.”

Stephen A. Smith (Stephen Smith) on the ESPN NBA Countdown live set at Intuit Dome.Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The NBA Commissioner has to always choose their words carefully, but for all that, Silver's displeasure comes through in his words. For him to point out specifically that NBA coverage can be negative and to call the media a 'cottage industry' is fairly scathing on his part.

In terms of the larger picture, however, there is merit to the point that NBA coverage would benefit from being more positive and celebrating the game. Plenty of people have said this in recent times, but it is now up to the media to change how they approach their jobs, should they wish to do so.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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