What Shannon Sharpe told Stephen A. Smith after heated exchanged with LeBron James

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jeff Hauser | Last updated Apr 11, 2025 5:17 PM ET

A few days after LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith met on the court in Los Angeles in the now viral moment, there hasn't been much said by either of them about the encounter. Smith has stayed away from talking about Bronny James and The King said all he needed to say.

This all started when Smith insinuated Bronny was only in the league because of LeBron's influence. “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," Smith said on an episode of 'First Take'.

LeBron took to Pat McAfee's show to express his dissatisfaction with Smith and the two would squabble back and forth for a few days. From those tense moments with ESPN capitalizing on it all, Shannon Shape was put in the middle facing a difficult predicament. The host of 'Nightcap' and ESPN contributor is an avid supporter of James but also is a direct colleague of Smith.

Sharpe recently shared what he told Smith following the encounter with James on his show. "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 explain it from James' point of view and believed Smith crossed the line when it came to the Bronny diss. The shot seemed to be about LeBron's skills as a father and less of the game itself.

While Share is defending James, Charles Barkley went on the record to say it was a bad look for both of them. He was also sick of James bullying Smith. "They both had an awful week," Barkley told The Dan Patrick Show. "LeBron, he's too big to be that type of bully (and) Stephen A to bully Brian Windhorst... Brian Windhorst is a sweet person. He's just trying to do his thing. I've always liked LeBron, but him being a bully... it turned me off."

Smith has put it all behind him for now and seems to be surveying the field for a 2028 presidential run. As for James, he's not slowing down after 22 years in the league and has the Lakers in position for the playoffs.

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

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