“Had a Problem with LeBron James”: Stephen A. Smith Clarifies His Hot Take About JJ Redick and LBJ’s Podcast

The Los Angeles Lakers management seemed to have opened a can of worms when they announced that JJ Redick is going to be their new Head Coach. Many voices have felt that this hire was a direct outcome of LeBron James’ friendship with Redick and their interactions during the Mind the Game podcast. In the immediate aftermath, Stephen A. Smith called out LeBron James for co-hosting the pod when the Lakers were actively searching for a new face as their Head Coach. 

On his The Stephen A. Smith Show, the 56-year-old recently clarified that he has no problem with the podcast itself. However, he believes LBJ shouldn’t have agreed to do the show at a time when the then Lakers HC, Darvin Ham was under the scanner for the team’s poor showing.

Smith highlighted how rumors of Ham’s future firing had already started to make rounds on social media by then because of JJ and LeBron’s seamless camaraderie and shared basketball IQ. In retrospect, James’ appearance on the pod while his coach was on the hot seat doesn’t sit well with Stephen A. 

“I’ve never had a problem with his podcast, had a problem with LeBron James agreeing to do the podcast, not initially…But when they talked about getting into the intricacies of discussing the game of basketball and then we started hearing noise about Darvin Ham, the former Lakers Head Coach fired after their first-round series loss against the Denver Nuggets,” Smith said.

“You saying to yourself, ‘Damn, why is it that you [LeBron] would choose to do the podcast at that particular time as opposed to after Darvin Ham lost the job?…We’re talking to LeBron James, not JJ Redick,’” he added.

Overall, the 56-year-old argued that continuing the podcast amidst the rumors fueled the narrative of James playing a role in firing Ham and recommending Redick for the role. Apart from questioning the timing of James’ appearances on the pod, Stephen A. Smith has also conveyed that Black coaches are upset at the move.

Stephen A. Smith boldly claims that Black HCs resent the Mind the Game pod

As per Stephen A. Smith, Black coaches didn’t approve of Mind the Game podcast because they found it responsible for the firing of Darvin Ham. The analyst didn’t blame JJ Redick for this reaction but expressed that LBJ should have known better before entering the venture in the middle of the 2023-24 season. On First Take, he conveyed,

“Numerous coaches, Black coaches called me, expressing how they took issue with that podcast took place… Some of them felt very salty about that.”

In other words, Stephen A. Smith emphasized that he has no problem with the podcast itself and it was great news for the hoops community. However, in hindsight, it has raised questions about James’ involvement in the ouster of Ham and led to the belief that the Lakers are showing favoritism towards James while undermining the due process.