Stephen A. Smith reignites feud with LeBron James, slams him for historic failure, ‘no explanation…’

Stephen A. Smith slams LeBron James for 2011 Dallas Mavericks ‘chokejob’

Stephen A. Smith was a guest on Ryan Clark’s The Pivot podcast. When discussing his issues with LeBron James, the ESPN mogul tried to shine light on his failures once again.

This time, he focused on James’ collapse in the 2011 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, when he struggled to put up strong numbers in the fourth quarter of multiple games.

“You don’t like me because you see me calling it like I see it, You’re not Michael Jordan. You’re not the GOAT. You did choke in an NBA Finals.

“Four consecutive fourth quarters in an NBA Finals, this man was scoring four points. One game, he scored zero points in an NBA Finals fourth quarter. With Jason Terry or JJ Barea guarding you.

“There is no explanation for that. To anybody who knows basketball, that’s a choke job.”

Stephen A. Smith continues to make this situation about the GOAT debate

A shrewd and savvy operator within the NBA media space, Stephen A. Smith made sure to get himself out of the line of fire as quickly as possible.

Smith dismissed LeBron’s issues with his coverage about Bronny, and believes the real crux of the issue between the two of them is about where he sees James in the GOAT debate.

What Smith fails to acknowledge is that LeBron James has maintained cordial relationships with media members who have ranked Michael Jordan above him throughout his career.

For Smith, it is easier to make this about a superficial matter like the GOAT debate than to take any actual accountability for the way he tried to involve LeBron James and Bronny in a disrespectful narrative.