Stephen A. Smith opened Friday morning’s “First Take” by addressing his now-viral interaction with LeBron James that transpired courtside during the Lakers’ home overtime 113-109 win over the Knicks Thursday night.
Described as an “unexpected” confrontation, Smith, 57, spoke at length about what transpired, stressing the exchange was between him and a fellow father, not a 21-time NBA All-Star.
“That was LeBron James coming up to me, unexpectedly, I might add, to confront me about making sure I mind what I say about I say about his son,” Smith said in regards to James’ eldest son, 20-year-old Lakers rookie Bronny James.
“Can’t repeat the words because they ain’t suited for FCC airwaves, that’s what he was doing. And I thought long and hard about this over the last few hours cause I had no intention on talking about this at all. And the reason was because it was a one-on-one, I wouldn’t say it was a conversation but it was a one-on-one confrontation. But then I wake up and everybody from ESPN, my agent and everybody else sending me that this thing had gone viral, so, ultimately it was unavoidable and that is why I have to discuss it now.
“That wasn’t a basketball player confronting me, that was a parent, that was a father. I can’t sit here and be angry or feel slighted by LeBron James in that regard. By all accounts, he’s obviously a wonderful family man and father who cares very, very deeply about his son, and based on some of the comments he had heard or shall I say I think he thought he heard, clearly took exception to some of the things he heard me say, and he confronted me about it.”
Smith continued that James’ representation has his contact information and if the father of three were interested in a private conversation, the ESPN star — who is in the process of re-upping with the network on a five-year, $100 million deal — would have been open to doing so.
“That is not what he elected to do. Instead, he elected to confront me while I was sitting courtside,” Smith continued Friday. “… He walked right up to me, and he said what he had to say, and he feels like I was slighting his son. Now let me tell you what I feel. What I would have said if we were in a different environment, cause I was not going to engage in a confrontation at that particular moment in that setting. But if he had had that conversation, I would have said to LeBron James I never would speak negatively about your son. I was talking about you.”
Smith added he has “nothing but the best wishes for Bronny James,” who was selected No. 55 overall by the Lakers in last year’s NBA draft, but has struggled at the pro level.
Social media lip-readers speculated Thursday that James told Smith, “Keep my son out of this s–t.”
“I hope he flourishes into an NBA star,” Smith continued of the former USC product. “… I don’t know anybody who roots against him, it certainly isn’t me. But in the same breath, at the time we were talking about him, he was percolating to such a degree that the Bronny James stories had gone viral. And so we have to talk about it. And when I said the things that I said, I wasn’t talking about Bronny James because my attitude is he’s a rookie, he’s going to take some time to get himself together, he’ll be just fine, especially with [Lakers coach] JJ Redick and the staff coaching him.
“I was talking about the position he was put in by his dad because LeBron James has been on the record and I’ll read the quote, there was a quote he gave in February of 2024, ‘The work and results will ultimately do the talking no matter what he decides to do. If y’all don’t know he doesn’t care what a mock draft says, he just works. Earned not given.’”
Smith also highlighted pre-draft comments from James, 40, noting, “Whatever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be,” and stressed the pressure the budding athlete is under.
“… Anything that goes awry as it pertains to his son, there’s going to be a microscopic eye even more intensified on Bronny James because of his dad and what his dad had said,” Smith said. “And that’s what I was talking about, ‘C’mon, man, this is the situation that you’re putting him in.’ That’s where I was coming from.
“I can be a bit more outspoken about it but to be quite honest with you, to be in that moment, to have LeBron look at me the way that he did, for me to be a father of two daughters, for me to know how much love fathers have for their children and to hear what he had to say, it was all about his son.”
Smith reiterated he wasn’t speaking on Bronny but James and the situation his son is in.
“I really understood where he was coming from, he was very, very upset, I could tell,” Smith said. “… In the end, like I said, as a father, I get it. I’m not offended, I’m not insulted… If I was in his position, I can’t definitively say I would not have done the same thing. I’m not blaming him one bit.”
Smith previously spoke about James and Bronny in a late January installment of “First Take,” where he told the Lakers superstar: “Stop this.”
“We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad. The first game of the season, opening night, the Griffeys in attendance, father-son duo playing in an NBA game for first time, an absolutely, positively wonderful story. And then reality sets in,” Smith said, adding he is rooting for Bronny’s success.
James’ agency, Klutch Sports, previously told Smith to ease up on Bronny.
The Lakers improved to 40-21 on Thursday while the Knicks, now 40-22, await news on star Jalen Brunson, who exited early with an ankle injury.