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Shannon Sharpe Reveals What He Told Stephen A. Smith After the LeBron James Drama

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jaron Spor | Last updated Apr 10, 2025 11:37 AM ET

We are just over one month from a notable moment involving one of the greatest players in NBA history and a prominent media personality, which went viral during a game.

A video captured LeBron James confronting ESPN's Stephen A. Smith during a timeout during a game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks at the Crypto.com Arena. Smith's criticism of James' son, Bronny James, led to this confrontation.

In January, on "First Take," Smith urged James, as a father, to stop this and insinuated that Bronny was only in the league because of James. He stated, “I am pleading with LeBron James as a father: Stop this. We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad.”

Since the altercation, Smith has discussed the incident on "First Take" and other platforms. He emphasized that he understood it was James, the father, addressing him rather than James, the player.

James appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show" to discuss the incident. He criticized Smith for making personal attacks instead of focusing on on-court performance during NBA discussions, and he accused him of exploiting their confrontation for personal gain.

In response, Smith spent an entire hour on "The Stephen A. Smith Show," not only defending himself against James’ comments but also providing additional context to the story in an episode titled "LeBron... the Lies Keep Coming." During this episode, Smith claimed that James lied during his McAfee interview. "LeBron James is full of it," said Smith. "He is a liar. And he went on national television today and he lied again."

Pro Football Hall of Famer and media personality Shannon Sharpe found himself in a difficult predicament due to this incident. Known for his support of James, Sharpe considers him a friend. He is also friends with Stephen A. Smith and appears on Smith's show, "First Take," every Monday and Tuesday. Sharpe shared what he conveyed to Smith during his podcast, "Nightcap."

"The problem that I have with Stephen A., and I told Stephen A. this, bro, you should have left that alone," Sharpe said. "Once you said you understood it but went and made the rounds, and you said what you said on 'Gil's Arena,' and you went to other platforms. Then, you added yeast to the story. That's where I was out on it."

Sharpe mentioned that James felt Smith crossed a line by questioning his abilities as a father. According to Sharpe, James believed that Smith wasn't just criticizing Bronny's skills or his own skills as a player but rather implying that James was harming his son by being in the NBA.

Sharpe emphasized that James' reaction speaks volumes about his feelings, as he does not typically confront others publicly. The fact that he chose to address this issue during a basketball game indicated just how upset he was. It's been a little over a week since either party has commented about the other, suggesting that the drama has calmed down for now.

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

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