Stephen A. Smith and LeBron James have butted heads for quite some time. The Los Angeles Lakers star has refrained from giving Smith much attention, but the same can’t be said for the ESPN’s First Take star. He has been a big critic of James on the basketball court, but his latest comments take a shot at James that aren’t court related at all.
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The Lakers typically receive plenty of attention when they play, but Sunday night was a bit different. The organization celebrated legendary head coach Pat Riley with a statue outside the arena. Riley took charge of the iconic ‘Showtime’ Lakers and was a major reason for their success.
Riley certainly had a reputation for his elite basketball mind. However, he made a statement every game with his impeccable fashion sense. Riley took pride in looking clean and professional on the sideline. He implemented the importance of appearance within his roster.
He looked as dapper as he always does during his attendance for the Lakers’ recent game against the Boston Celtics. A few notable players from Riley’s head coaching days with the Lakers also joined him, such as Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy. Of course, it was all love between everyone, but Riley made sure to scold the group for breaking a rule regarding their outfits.
“All these men right here, out of all of them, there’s only one who has shown me true respect today. And that’s James Worthy, who has a tie on,” Riley said. “Everybody has gone casual, $2,000 fine for everybody.”
Pat Riley thanks James Worthy for being the only who who honored him by wearing a tie:
“$2,000 fine for everybody!”
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) February 23, 2026
Riley was joking, but the sentiment remained true. It seemed like a funny moment from the iconic night and nothing more. However, Stephen A. Smith held onto Riley’s comments and expanded on them, while focusing on one Lakers star in particular.
“I’m walking in like I’m the best-dressed dude in the arena. I’m telling the players to take notes. All that damn money LeBron and them making, you can’t dress better than that? I’m so glad Pat Riley brought that up,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take.
Stephen A. Smith calls out LeBron and other players for not dressing better for games
“All that damn money LeBron and them making, you can’t dress better than that?”
( @FirstTake / h/t @awfulannouncing ) pic.twitter.com/BdwyGT9sm1
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 23, 2026
In the past, Smith has criticized James for his play, but could never say that he is a better player. Now that fashion is at the core of the argument, Smith claims he can dress better than not just LeBron but most NBA players.
Smith has a penchant for tooting his own horn and this is no different. It’s highly unlikely James will respond, but it’s somewhat impressive the different ways that the sports media personality can find to attack James.
