On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
The relationship between LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith hasn’t been very friendly in recent months. Months after their viral confrontation in March during the Lakers-Knicks match, the ESPN analyst has finally come up with an honest revelation. The Los Angeles Lakers star had approached Smith courtside over the sports personality’s comments on Bronny James. The occurrence soon went viral, highlighting intense tension between the two. Now, months later, Smith has revealed his relationship with the legendary player remains strained.
Stephen A. Smith Gets Brutally Honest on LeBron James
Stephen A. Smith has admitted that he and James don’t like each other. Additionally, the two will never like each other. During an interview with Danyel Smith at The Rolling Stone, Smith said, “I don’t like him, and he don’t like me.” However, the NBA analyst acknowledged that he is “going to show him that respect” for being “one of the greatest players who’s ever lived.”
Smith continued by saying that he is going to “applaud” LeBron when the player does “great” and “when he doesn’t do great, I’m not gonna applaud.” The 57-year-old went on to mention his son again by saying, “He hid behind his son, tried to make something out of nothing as if I was dogging his son, which I was not.” Smith further said that “the real issue was we don’t like each other. And he used that as an excuse to confront me. I got it.”
Smith and LeBron have an extensive history. While it’s clear they don’t like each other, hopefully, Smith can remain professional when covering James.
The History Between Stephen A. Smith and LeBron
The reference takes us back to their intense confrontation mentioned above, which happened during the Lakers-Knicks game on March 6. LeBron allegedly asked Smith, “Keep my son out of this s*it.” It seems that the incident remains relevant to the ESPN analyst, as he has mentioned that occurrence months later. Smith has also made it clear that the feud between the two isn’t just a trivial rivalry, but much more than that. “We’re never gonna like each other.”
Smith, during the aforementioned interview, stated that he is going to treat LeBron “just like any other player I cover.” Additionally, nothing can stop him from his “professional integrity.” It seems like the situation between the two isn’t likely to change. “I don’t have to like you to be fair to you,” Smith told The Rolling Stones.
LeBron recently pointed out that he isn’t a fan of ring culture. During the latest episode of the Mind the Game podcast, the Lakers forward argued that “a ring is a team achievement.” He also mentioned players like Allen Iverson, Charles Barkley, and Steve Nash, who never won a championship, should be considered in the list of all-time greats. The four-time NBA Champion highlighted that greatness goes beyond winning the titles. However, Smith believes it contradicted his previous actions when he left Cleveland for Miami.
Smith, during his recent appearance on First Take, questioned LeBron, “If [winning a championship] didn’t mean much or shouldn’t mean much … Why were you so relieved to finally have one? Why did you depart Cleveland to go to Miami?” The NBA pundit additionally stated that James left Cleveland for Miami to form an exceptional team with players like Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. It is to be seen how the four-time NBA Finals MVP responds to these comments.
The Last Word
Amid all these conversations and the feud with Smith, James continues to recover from a knee injury ahead of the upcoming season. LeBron is preparing for a historic 23rd season and is still playing at an elite level. Regardless of your opinion of LeBron, his greatness is undeniable.
More must-reads:
- Thunder’s Nikola Topic undergoing treatment for testicular cancer
- Victor Wembanyama leads Spurs to best start in franchise history
- The 'Most 2,000-point NBA seasons' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
TODAY'S BEST
A former Timberwolves reserve is breaking out as a starter in the East
Former Timberwolves second-round pick and reserve forward Josh Minott, who could never truly crack the rotation in Minnesota, is now seizing an opportunity and breaking out as a starter with the Boston Celtics early in the 2025-26 season. Minott has started the past two games for Boston. On Monday, in his first NBA start, he put up a career-high 15 points and 9 rebounds in a win over the Pelicans. On Wednesday, he followed it up with 11 points, 3 steals, and a career-high 15 boards in a win over the Cavaliers. Four games into the season, he's averaging 9.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per night while playing quality defense. How he got here Back in the 2022 NBA draft, the Timberwolves drafted Minott 45th overall in the second round. At the time, he was a raw 19-year-old wing who wasn't even a starter in his one-and-done season at Memphis. The tools were there, but he needed plenty of development. Minott appeared in 15 games for Minnesota as a rookie and played in 20 games in the G League, where he put up strong numbers. Over the past couple seasons, his role simply never changed much for the Timberwolves. He played in three Summer Leagues, but once each regular season started, he was unable to secure a permanent spot in the rotation. Minott saw action in 32 games in 2023-24 and 46 last season, but most of those appearances came in garbage time or brief spurts. When Minott did get chances to play real competitive minutes for Chris Finch, he struggled to perform effectively enough to stay on the floor and earn a longer leash. This past January, Finch cited fouls and game plan mistakes on defense as reasons why Minott had fallen out of the rotation once more. In total, Minott played in 93 regular season games for Minnesota over three years, averaging 2.3 points and 1 rebound in 5 minutes per contest. This offseason, Minott and Luka Garza both asked the Wolves to decline their team options so they could seek new opportunities elsewhere. Minnesota obliged. Both players happened to find their way to a Celtics team in transition mode. Minott signed a two-year, $5 million contract with Boston. It's very, very early, but that deal looks like a potential steal for the Celtics. Does this reflect poorly on the Wolves? Some fans on social media this week have used Minott's recent performances as a way to criticize Finch, who has taken some heat during his Wolves tenure for his usage (or lack thereof) of young players. That figures to remain a talking point if Minott — who turns 23 in a few weeks — continues to play well and ascend in Boston. To me, that's a bit silly. Minott didn't crack the rotation in Minnesota over the past few years because the Wolves had a strong group of forwards (Jaden McDaniels, Karl-Anthony Towns/Julius Randle, Naz Reid, Nickeil Alexander-Walker) and were busy reaching back-to-back conference finals. When Minott did get chances in Minnesota, he didn't do very much with them. He's not a strong outside shooter, and his lapses on defense were sometimes glaring. Minott is now on a Celtics team that's without Jayson Tatum (Achilles) and lost Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet over the offseason. An opportunity exists there for Minott that probably still wouldn't exist for him in Minnesota, even with NAW gone. An argument can perhaps be made that Minott should've gotten more of an extended look in real minutes for the Timberwolves. But this also doesn't have to be made into something that reflects poorly on Finch or the Wolves. It can simply be a cool story about a young player who needed a change of scenery to show what he's capable of doing. More Timberwolves coverage
The 'World Series single-game K leaders' quiz
Toronto Blue Jays rookie pitcher Trey Yesavage has three regular season major league starts under his belt. He also has three playoff wins to his name, and now has one in the World Series. Yesavage got a no decision in the Blue Jays Game 1 win in the World Series against the Dodgers, but in Game 5 he was dominant with 12 strikeouts, three hits and one run in seven innings to lead the Blue Jays to a 6-1 win and give them two chances to clinch the championship in Toronto. The 22 year old, who made his 2025 debut in front of just 327 people in the Blue Jays minor league system, talked about his mindset before the game in front of more than 52,000. “Walking from the bullpen to the dugout, I took a moment to look around the stadium, see the fans,” he said. “I was hoping I’d send them home upset.” Which brings us to today’s quiz. Yesavage’s 12 K’s were the most ever by a rookie in the World Series. With that being said, how many of the players to strike out at least 10 batters in one World Series outing can you name in six minutes? Good luck! Did you like this quiz? Are there any quizzes you’d like to see us make in the future? Let us know your thoughts at quizzes@yardbarker.com, and make sure to subscribe to our Quiz of the Day Newsletter for daily quizzes sent right to your email!
Do NFL executives believe Patriots can topple Bills in AFC East?
While the Buffalo Bills have won the AFC East division title for the past five seasons, the 6-2 New England Patriots will enter Week 9 holding a slight lead over 5-2 Buffalo in the standings. Under first-year Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, second-year quarterback Drake Maye has emerged as a strong MVP candidate. In an article published on Friday, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler talked with several NFL executives about whether they believe the Patriots are a "real" contender this fall. One executive "not quite ready to pass the torch" regarding Patriots-Bills fight "I think the quarterback is real," one unnamed AFC executive said while referencing Maye. "He keeps getting better. He has an excellent OC who will get every drop out of that offense. And Vrabes has them playing good team football. I'm not quite ready to pass the torch now." Such an opinion is understandable given that Bills quarterback Josh Allen is the reigning MVP and has made 13 career playoff starts. Of course, Maye has not yet played in a playoff game, but he did lead New England to a 23-20 upset victory in Buffalo on Oct. 5. According to Pro Football Reference stats, Maye ended October ranked fifth in the NFL among qualified players with a 76.0 adjusted QBR, second with a 118.7 passer rating and first with a 75.2 percent completion percentage for the season. Per StatMuse, he's tied for fourth in the league with 17 combined passing and rushing touchdowns, and he's third with 2,276 combined passing and rushing yards. What concerns one executive about Patriots' attempt to topple Bills? The Patriots are reportedly among the teams seeking a pass-rusher before the Nov. 4 trade deadline. Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals and Kayvon Thibodeaux of the New York Giants are two players previously connected with New England who reportedly won't be traded this fall. "I think they are a year away from being really good," a different AFC executive added about the Patriots. "The defense isn't all the way there yet. But the offensive line is showing promise, and the quarterback is picking things up really fast. He's not close to his ceiling." If Maye gets closer to that ceiling in the next two months, the Patriots might secure the AFC's top overall seed for the playoffs.
Three wild quotes from Louisiana governor Jeff Landry that could wreck LSU head-coaching search
For three days, the LSU Tigers had the most appealing head-coaching opening in college football. That changed Wednesday, when first-term Louisiana governor Jeff Landry (R) opened his mouth. Below are three absurd statements from Landry that should make prospective candidates run in the other direction instead of considering becoming the next LSU head coach. 1. Who's in charge? What Landry said: "No, I can tell you right now [athletic director] Scott Woodward is not selecting our next coach. Maybe we'll let President Trump pick it." Reaction: What should terrify candidates the most is how unorganized the search for head coach is at the top, creating a trickle-down effect that could permeate throughout the program. With an embattled AD — who has since been fired — plus the university looking for its next president, LSU's next head coach has no way of knowing what administration he'll be answering to. That uncertainty is no way to attract elite candidates. 2. Pot, meet kettle What Landry said about hiring the next football coach at LSU: "We're gonna make sure that he's compensated properly, and we're gonna put metrics on it because I'm tired of rewarding failure in this country and then leaving the taxpayers to foot the bill." Reaction: One of three programs with three national titles this century (joining Alabama and Ohio State), LSU has higher expectations for its football team than at most FBS programs. Landry's comments raise questions about how much time the Tigers will give their next head coach to construct a winner. What kind of metrics will be in place? It's normal for coaches to earn raises with conference or national championships, but what happens if Kelly's successor doesn't have the same immediate success he did, leading the team to the SEC title game and coaching a Heisman winner (Jayden Daniels) in his first two seasons? "I'm tired of rewarding failure in this country" is also a rich statement from a man whose state was ranked 46th of 50 states in education and last for economy by U.S. News World Report. 3. Politicians should stay out of sports What Landry said: "All I care about is what the taxpayers are going to be on the hook [for]." Reaction: Is it too much to ask that our elected officials know how things work? Landry was asked why LSU officials met with him at the governor's mansion before Kelly's firing, and his reasoning was nonsensical. Coaching buyouts, including Kelly's, are often paid through boosters with money to burn, not taxpayers. WDSU-New Orleans reporter Travers Mackel wrote on Monday that one private donor will foot the majority of Kelly's buyout. "Zero public money set aside for education, salaries or scholarships will be used," Mackel wrote. Landry's meddling in Kelly's firing is more than just concern for Louisiana taxpayers. "In the absence of a permanent president [at LSU], the governor has grabbed authority over key decisions," Yahoo Sports reporter Ross Dellenger wrote earlier this week. (A search for a new university president is in the final stages, according to The Advocate.) Politicians have no reason to get involved with college coaching decisions. Where does their influence end? What if the best available candidate doesn't share Landry's leanings? It's ridiculous to even have to consider. Well, everywhere but at LSU.
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
