ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith made waves recently after a verbal encounter with NBA superstar LeBron James during the Los Angeles Lakers' matchup with the New York Knicks on March 8.
Smith confirmed LeBron approached him about comments he made about his son, Bronny James.
Stephen A. Smith begins First Take confirming that LeBron James confronted him at last night's Lakers game over comments about Bronny James.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 7, 2025
"That wasn't a basketball player confronting me, that was a parent, that was a father." pic.twitter.com/QTWmScRIGF
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Shortly after, Smith made an appearance on "Gil's Arena," saying he thought James' decision to approach him in that manner was "weak" and "bulls---t."
"I thought it was weak. I thought it was bullsh*t."@stephenasmith gives @GilsArenaShow the full story of what happened during his confrontation with LeBron 😳 pic.twitter.com/K6rtZsbYvf
— Underdog (@UnderdogFantasy) March 11, 2025
Warriors forward Draymond Green took exception to Smith's comments, citing his disapproval of the ESPN analyst's choice of words on the matter during a recent episode of "The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis."
"I think a lot of problems that guys have with media is … to call something that that man did bulls--t and weak. Like those are words when we grew up, like you'd get hands put on you when we grew up in those types of words," Green said.
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"So the problem that people have with media is, you go on there, you're like, 'Oh, that's weak.' Weak? Like calling another man weak? That's not basketball, which is actually what Bron was saying in the first place, 'Let's keep it basketball.' Because calling a man weak, that's not basketball, and you're paid to talk about basketball.
"You call Bron weak for stepping to you, but you're taking shots at him as a father on TV, behind a camera. Most would say that's weak. And then he will say, 'I'm paid to do that.' No, you're paid to analyze, you're paid to debate on the show."
Green then mentioned a run-in with former Warriors general manager and current colleague of Smith's Bob Myers.
"As soon as I saw him [Smith] say it, Bob was up here that day," Green explained. "And Bob was like 'I work with Stephen A tomorrow, got y'all game tonight, I'm in the studio tomorrow, so I'm with Stephen A.' I was like, 'Oh, you make sure you tell Stephen A that I have no respect for what he said yesterday.'
Green further detailed that Smith's initial comments irritated him as well.
"You go on TV, national TV calling out this African American, this black father who has raised another successful black, young man," Green said. "You go on TV calling him out as a father because his son plays in the NBA? That's ass backward … how does that even make sense?"
While Smith has never shied away from speaking what's on his mind, Green certainly doesn't either. Smith's comments clearly have struck a nerve with not only James, but others around the NBA as well.