Imagine you’re a sophomore in high school. Imagine people are already talking about you like you’re the next big thing. Now imagine that you get the chance to prove yourself to the greatest of all time, someone you’ve idolized your entire life. You’d think that would be one of the most pressure- and stress-filled moments that anyone could possibly face. Not Stephen A. Smith, apparently.
Advertisement
His reaction on First Take to LeBron James talking on the New Heights podcast this week about playing and dominating in a pick-up basketball game with Michael Jordan and a bunch of NBA All-Stars at the age of 16 made it seem like Stephen A. was thoroughly unimpressed.
“I’ve heard the story on numerous occasions. I’ve heard it was absolutely true, he was unguardable. I saw a video of Metta World Peace talking about it. He was in attendance, he said it was absolutely true, as well. LeBron was obviously phenomenal, and he was “The Chosen One,” we all know that, cover of Sports Illustrated at age 17. The only critique that I heard years later was, ‘Well yeah Stephen A., of course he did that. Wasn’t pressure. Would have been a little bit different if it was.’ That’s what some folks say.”
This is an absolutely wild take from Stephen A. to imply that LeBron did so well because there was no pressure on him in this game. And it’s made even funnier by the fact that co-host Molly Qerim completely no-sells him on it.
You could cut the silence that followed Stephen A. saying “Wasn’t pressure” with a chainsaw. What could be more pressure-filled for a 16-year-old than to be in this situation? Playing basketball with his idol, and a plethora of NBA All-Stars while barely in high school sounds very pressure-filled.
Stephen A. somehow used this story as a way to knock down LeBron’s accomplishments as a young player, saying, “In the younger part of LeBron James’ career, pressure was an impediment. Certainly is not that way now, the brother is all-world now. But back in the day, you know, pressure. Pressure broke pipes.”
No matter what he does, LeBron James still gets criticism from the media
This wasn’t the first time Stephen A. gave LeBron a hard time this year. He’s been following in his old co-host Skip Bayless’ footsteps through most of the season in criticizing the 22-year vet and future Hall-of-Famer. Last week he used an incredible lefty LeBron dunk against the Mavs as a springboard to go on a nearly three-minute-long rant about how LeBron doesn’t deserve the praise he gets.
.@stephenasmith gives a round of applause to LeBron's dunk but calls out the Lakers' loss to the Mavs.
"That was a big-time dunk, we loved seeing it. But did we love seeing the Lakers get their ass kicked?" 😳 pic.twitter.com/k07yfXvqGu
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 8, 2025
Keep in mind that this was the first game the Lakers played since the California wildfires started. Lakers head coach JJ Redick, along with thousands of others, lost his house in the blaze. The Lakers themselves wouldn’t make excuses for losing to a shorthanded Mavs team, even under such circumstances, but can Stephen A. show a little bit of empathy instead of cannonballing into the pool with another bad-faith argument?
We’ve all heard Omar Little’s famous quote from The Wire, “You come at the king, you best not miss.” That’s actually not true when it comes to “The King” LeBron James, as sports media personalities have been getting paid and getting clicks for years for hating on LeBron with the worst takes imaginable. Whether he’s 16 or 40, the game never ends.
