Sometimes the only way out is to put water under the bridge and move on. Stephen A. Smith appears to have gone out of his way to fabricate another option in what is shaping up to be full-blown beef with LeBron James.
The ESPN veteran is still making waves over his confrontation with the Los Angeles Lakers star. Now, Smith is claiming he would’ve swung at James if things got physical during their altercation. Fans, however, aren’t buying it. In fact, they’re straight-up roasting him over it on social media.
Stephen A. Smith’s Stance On LeBron James Beef Has Fans Shaking Their Heads
At this point, Stephen A. Smith’s feud with James feels like one of those never-ending TV dramas. Except this one’s missing good writing.
On his podcast ‘The Stephen A. Smith Show,’ the ESPN analyst boldly declared that if James had put his hands on him during their courtside encounter, he would’ve swung back.
Stephen A Smith says he would’ve swung on LeBron
“If that man would’ve put his hands on me. I would’ve immediately swung on him. Immediately.”
(h/t @gifdsports )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 26, 2025
“If that man would’ve put his hands on me, I would’ve immediately swung on him. Immediately,” Smith stated, before admitting that it probably wouldn’t have ended well for him.
Once the clip started making the rounds online, fans wasted no time tearing into Stephen A. Smith’s tough-guy act. The responses? Brutal.
“That clown looked like he saw a ghost, wouldn’t have done sh*t 💀,” one fan wrote.
That clown looked like he saw a ghost, wouldn’t have done shit 💀pic.twitter.com/DgIR15tSMN
— 🎭 (@MaskedInLA) March 26, 2025
One fan joked that James has Smith losing his mind in the studio.
https://twitter.com/Lukewearechange/status/1905088397745479876
“You would have been IMMEDIATELY laid out. IMMEDIATELY!” another fan added.
You would have been IMMEDIATELY laid out. IMMEDIATELY!
— The Knicks Recap (@TheKnicksRecap) March 26, 2025
Safe to say, the internet had no shortage of thoughts on the matter. NBA fans flooded social media with their reactions, and let’s just say, they weren’t exactly backing up Smith in this case.
LeBron James Not Having Any of This Stephen A Smith ‘Tour’
Smith looked visibly shaken during the interaction, hardly the demeanor of someone ready to throw hands at a 6’9″, 250-pound athlete. So what made him come at James again?
The whole saga started after James appeared on The Pat McAfee Show and called out Smith for some of his recent takes. “Stephen A Smith is on a Taylor Swift tour run right now,” were his exact words.
“Stephen A Smith is on a Taylor Swift tour run right now 😂😂
He completely missed the whole point..
He got personal with it and it’s my job to not only protect my own household but also all the players” @KingJames #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/LKKFmvtFWM
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 26, 2025
That prompted Smith to fire back with this latest claim of self-defense. But at this point, the back-and-forth is feeling more like a solo act, with Smith desperately trying to keep the drama alive.
James, on the other hand? Not even acknowledging it. With the Lakers pushing for a strong finish to the season, it’s clear he has much bigger concerns than whatever Smith is ranting about this week.