Stephen A. Smith Reveals Big Truth Behind LeBron James' Feud

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Eric Nacach | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 4:32 PM ET

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James confronted ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith during pregame warm-ups at a Lakers home game in March over comments Smith had made publicly about James’ son, Bronny James.

He made those comments during a segment of ESPN’s "First Take", stating, "We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad."

After questioning the legitimacy of the 20-year-old's Lakers roster spot, Smith continued:

"We love what we’re seeing from him in the G League, because that's where you belong. As you hone your skills and you get better, and you legitimately earn, which I believe he has the potential to do.”

LeBron James approached Smith on the court to address the remarks. And since then, the confrontation has drawn plenty of media attention.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the host revealed the details behind his conflict with James and discussed the current state of their relationship.

“I don’t like him, and he don’t like me," Smith said in an interview with Rolling Stone's Danyel Smith. "He’s one of the greatest players who’s ever lived. I’m going to show him that respect, and I’m going to cover him objectively. When he does great, I’m gonna applaud. When he doesn’t do great, I’m not gonna applaud."

Smith also added, "He hid behind his son, tried to make something out of nothing, as if I was dogging his son, which I was not. The real issue was we don’t like each other. And he used that as an excuse to confront me. I got it.”

While LeBron James has yet to make his feelings known since the moment courtside, he has yet to make a comment since Smith spoke to Rolling Stone.

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

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