The feud between EPSNs Stephen A. Smith and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James appears far from settled. The professional dynamic between the two has always been a seesaw, with Smith often providing criticism on James’ place in NBA history and decision-making and, most recently, using his power to get his son, Bronny James, into the league.
Things heated up on March 6 when James approached Smith courtside during a Lakers game, reportedly confronting Smith about his coverage of Bronny.
Stephen A. Smith’s Beef With LeBron James Heats Up Again
On March 26, James appeared on Pat McAfee’s show and took an extended jab at Smith that immediately went viral. Later that evening, during Smith’s YouTube show, the veteran journalist stated he would have “immediately swung” on James during the earlier confrontation if he had been hit first.
A few hours later, James took to Instagram to post a rather unflattering video of Smith’s boxing workout.
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The overwhelming response to the thought of Smith taking a swing at James resulted in many memes and jokes. Smith later responded, reiterating he was only talking about taking a swing if he was assaulted first.
“Nice try folks. On my show, I said I would’ve swung on @KingJames had he slapped me — like lots of y’all said I was scared he would’ve done a few weeks ago. I also said immediately after that I would’ve gotten my a** thoroughly kicked by the 6’8″, 250lb Goliath, but folks just left that part of my YouTube sentence out, huh? Okay. Have fun!”
Nice try folks. On my show, I said I would’ve swung on @KingJames had he slapped me — like lots of y’all said I was scared he would’ve done a few weeks ago. I also said immediately after that I would’ve gotten my ass thoroughly kicked by the 6’8”, 250lb Goliath, but folks just…
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) March 27, 2025
Smith’s full comment on his show regarding the situation clarifies his thought process.
“It was during the third quarter, it was fresh out of a timeout, it was him walking to the basketball court, it was on national television, the cameras were rolling and had I done something, what do y’all want me to do? Do you want this to be a reincarnation of Chris Rock and Will Smith?”
“Let me state for the record that while we bring up that, let me assure you it wouldn’t have gone down like that. I would have gotten my a** kicked, because had that man put his hands on me, I would have immediately swung on him. Immediately. That, I’m not going to tolerate. But I knew he wasn’t going to do something like that,” Smith said.
It’s clear Smith readily admits things would have gone south for him quickly if he had taken a swing at the future Hall of Famer, but he also doubled down that he would defend himself if things turned physical.