The LeBron James-Stephen A. Smith feud is bad for business

Over the past 24 hours, two heavyweights in the NBA world have been taking shots at each other. 

LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith clearly have some underlying issues. That much became clear when James confronted Smith at a recent Los Angeles Lakers game.

On Wednesday during an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," James stoked the flames between him and Smith.

"When you take it and you get personal with it, it’s my job to not only protect my damn household, but protect the players," James said. "... He’s gonna be smiling from ear to ear when he hears me talking about him."

Smith has since responded, both to James' comments and a subsequent Instagram post from the Lakers star.

"There's a lot of shady stuff that he does," Smith said. "And one of the things is this passive aggressiveness. And the two-facedness and smile in your face and dig you in behind the back. I happen to know that about him, which is why I don't like him, and he doesn't like me ... I never brought up really and never really discussed why you were not at Kobe Bryant's memorial service." 

While this back-and-forth is undoubtedly entertaining for basketball fans, it's also indicative of a larger problem. The disconnect between NBA players and the media is at an all-time high. Seeing the two titans of each respective industry trading public blows will only serve to push that divide further apart. 

The NBA needs the media. It's how the product is disseminated to the masses and how stories are told and/or created. Fans connect with the players via the media. The media needs the players because, without them, there is nothing to report on. 

ESPN needs its star anchor to be accessible to the talent within the NBA ranks. The more Smith calls out James live on air, the more he's alienating himself. The same can be said for James. After years of building a perfect, squeaky-clean image, he's tarnishing it with an unnecessary public battle. 

James and Smith don't need to like each other, but need to co-exist in the same ecosystem. Either ESPN or the NBA needs to step in and provide some mediation, because, right now, the current war or words shows no sign of ending, and the ramifications of that could be felt for years to come.