The feud between Stephen A. Smith and LeBron James is the NBA story that just won’t go away. Basketball fans know by now how LeBron confronted Stephen A. courtside before his Lakers faced the Knicks on March 8th. The move further escalated the tension between the two in the wake of Stephen A. criticizing LeBron as a parent for what he saw as forcing Bronny James into a situation he wasn’t ready for.
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LeBron’s fellow 2003 draftees and friends Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony weighed in on the situation on the most recent episode of Anthony’s 7PM in Brooklyn podcast. Their conversation was enlightening because, while they’re close with LeBron, they also like and respect Stephen A.
Wade saw both sides, and he said he would have rolled up on Stephen A. for talking about his son also. We know that to be true with how outspoken and fiercely protective he’s been of his daughter Zaya. At the same time, Wade acknowledged that criticism is good for Bronny, and he admitted that LeBron may have put too much on his plate by tweeting that he was better than some NBA players.
Melo brought a fresh perspective. He said that this whole situation has been over two decades in the making. “This ain’t got nothing to do with Bronny… Bron has never spoken in any situation with Stephen A., now [LeBron’s] son is the trigger.”
Stephen A. thanked Wade and Melo for adding their voices to the conversation on yesterday’s episode of his podcast, The Stephen A. Smith Show. “I really appreciate the conversation that they had, and I appreciate the perspective that they both provided, because, for the most part, it was pretty spot on.”
LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith have never had a relationship
Wade mentioned that Stephen A. should see LeBron approaching him as a sign of respect, because he’s the biggest voice with the biggest platform in the NBA media space. Melo got to the heart of it, though, by mentioning that LeBron and Stephen A. aren’t friends and have never interacted in any meaningful way.
Stephen A. said he is close to many people in LeBron’s circle, but although he “respects the hell out of” LeBron and called him the second-best player ever in his eyes, the two have never been close. “LeBron don’t mess with me, and I don’t mess with him.”
Here’s my perspective. LeBron isn’t perfect, but he’s handled himself remarkably well in the public eye over the course of his career. It’s rare to see him get into an altercation of any kind off the court. Stephen A. has made an unbelievable career for himself, as his recently announced $100 million contract proves.
Unfortunately for the person on the receiving end—LeBron and Bronny this time—it’s great business for Stephen A. to have an altercation, just as it was great for him to have a public feud with Kevin Durant a few years ago. There’s no such thing as bad publicity when you’re trying to get clicks and viewers for your TV show and podcast.
LeBron is in a no-win situation here, and it’s made more difficult by the fact that Bronny isn’t ready for the NBA and was clearly only drafted because of who his dad is. Could Bronny become a contributing player to an NBA team? Sure, eventually. He has the size and athleticism, if not the experience yet, to be a rotation guy down the road. He’s done some good things in the G League.
Stephen A.’s plea to LeBron that got this whole thing started: “As a father, stop this,” was way over the line and just asking for trouble. For LeBron though, acknowledging Stephen A. in any way only gives fuel to the fire and keeps the conversation going. Confronting him just gave him another month’s worth of content.
Just like Bronny, LeBron has to be able to deal with criticism, whether it goes over the line or not. Getting upset about it will only show Stephen A. that he was right to do it.
