After his heated interaction with LeBron James on Thursday night, Stephen A. Smith showed up on Gil’s Arena to discuss the situation. The ESPN analyst has been the subject of much contention as fans have targeted him for his comments about Bronny.
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At the end of January, after the rookie James went scoreless against the 76ers, Smith commented on his performance on First Take. “I am pleading with LeBron James as a father: Stop this,” the veteran reporter said.
Smith insisted that Bronny was only in the NBA because of his father and urged LeBron not to invite that kind of pressure onto his son. However, the four-time NBA champion clearly didn’t appreciate Smith’s approach.
On Thursday night, Stephen A. was in attendance at Crypto.com Arena, and James took the opportunity to confront the 57-year-old regarding his comments about Bronny. The heated moment quickly went viral online, forcing Smith to address the controversy between him and the NBA’s leading scorer.
“I thought it was weak. I thought it was some bulls**t,” Smith said about LeBron’s on-court confrontation.
CBS reporter Ashley Nicole Moss wasn’t a fan of Smith’s response. She argued that Stephen A. should have had the courage to say that to James himself instead of running to Gilbert Arenas’ podcast to issue a statement after the fact. “I meannnnnnnn could’ve told him that lol,” Nicole Moss tweeted.
i meannnnnnnn could’ve told him that lol https://t.co/xTZZ2xfYgZ
— Ashley Nicole Moss (@AshNicoleMoss) March 11, 2025
Some devout fans of the ESPN veteran defended his actions (or lack thereof) in response to Nicole. They recalled how Smith explained that he was watching the Lakers-Knicks game with his agent, and given that he had just signed a new deal, he didn’t want to incite any controversy.
She clarified that she didn’t want any “shouting” or ugliness between the two. Instead, Nicole just wanted to see Smith handle the situation like an adult. When James confronted him during the third quarter of the game between New York and LA, the analyst hardly got a word out.
After several days, Smith was happy to criticize James’ behavior when the four-time MVP wasn’t around to engage in a conversation.
Nicole also shared that she and Smith shared the same representation and didn’t let him use that as an excuse. With professionalism and pragmatism, the veteran analyst could have spoken up for himself in front of LeBron, Nicole Moss argued.
i’m represented by the same agency. “aye bruh, don’t press me like this … if you wanna talk, you have my number.” the end.
— Ashley Nicole Moss (@AshNicoleMoss) March 12, 2025
However, some fans still refused to understand her perspective. Several responses to her comment claimed that she wanted Smith to “make a scene” during the game. Moss clapped back at those fans by joking, “Y’all are acting like i told him to box him.”
Nicole also furthered the topic during her recent interview with Mario Chalmers, who knows a thing or two about earning the ire of the King.
“I’m Team Bron,” the two-time NBA champion said. “Stephen A., I get what you’re doing. I get that’s your job. But sometimes, you do cross the line… Sometimes you gotta look at that aspect as like, this has also never been done before. There has also never been a father-son playing duo in the NBA. So, what you [Smith] were saying, he [James] still gotta protect his son as a father.”
Chalmers is right in his way too; both LeBron and Stephen A. are in unchartered waters. No father-son duo has ever come close to playing together in the NBA. As such, there is no precedent for evaluating or criticizing this decision. It’s uncertain if James and Smith will ever sit down and clear the air, but until that happens, all we can do is pick sides.
