Stephen A. Smith Calls Out LeBron James Over Their Infamous Courtside Confrontation

Stephen A. Smith and LeBron James (Photo by Imagn Images)

Stephen A. Smith Calls Out LeBron James Over Their Infamous Courtside Confrontation

Originally posted on Total Pro Sports | By Kenny Nosay | Last updated Apr 29, 2026 2:05 AM ET

Just when everybody thought that Stephen A. Smith might be softening his stance about LeBron James, the controversial television personality is at it again with his old antics.

Around March of last year, having had enough of SAS’s tirades against Bronny James, LeBron made a rare move – he confronted Stephen A. The incident quickly went viral, unsurprisingly. And it happened on the sidelines after LA’s game against the visiting Knicks, Smith’s presumed favorite team.

When asked how he felt about LeBron confronting him, Stephen A. Smith was a bit calm in his answers, but called the incident ‘disrespectful.’

“It was very disrespectful. I thought it was really unfair to me…because I never did what he [LeBron James] implied that I did. And that was my issue. I never watched his son in high school,” Stephen A. Smith said.

Stephen A. Smith calls out LeBron for confronting him Courtside

“It was very disrespectful. I thought it was very unfair to me. I never did what he implied that I did. That was my issue.”

(h/t @NBA__Courtside ) pic.twitter.com/PL49Uc9Ljv
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 28, 2026

“When he [Bronny James] got hurt in college, with the heart ailment, all we did was pray for him on national television, hope he got better,” he added.

The critique for Bronny usually stems from one thing: nepotism. Could he have been drafted on his talents alone after a subpar year in college? Maybe not. But the Lakers want to keep LeBron happy, and that’s arguably the reason they took a chance on his son and gave him a guaranteed deal – a rarity for a late second-rounder.

LeBron James Approaching GOAT Status, per Stephen A. Smith

With Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves both out so far in their series against Houston, it’s LeBron’s time to shine. Can he still lead a team in the playoffs at 41 years old? The answer is, he still can. After a couple of stellar games in LA’s first-round series, Stephen A. Smith suggested that LeBron James might have a case of becoming the GOAT.

Stephen A. Smith (Image Credits: Imagn)

“We have never seen somebody be this great for this long in their career from start to finish. If you want to give him GOAT status, it’s because there’s never been anyone this good for this long,” Stephen A. said of First Take.

While there’s no definitive answer on who’s the best player in basketball, LeBron certainly has a solid case. At this point, there’s no right or wrong answer between him and Michael Jordan.

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

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