LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers have become media darlings again after the shocking, blockbuster trade for former-Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic.
The pairing of Doncic and James has the surging Lakers competing for the two-seed in a stacked Western Conference (the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder are a dozen games ahead of them, to give you an idea why the Lakers aren’t competing for the top seed).
The Lakers, thanks to that lopsided trade, are a title contender that’s only going to get better as Doncic gets better acclimated to Southern California — certainly a stark contrast from the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
So … then why is James so surly?
Prior to Saturday’s loss to the Boston Celtics (which snapped an 8-game winning streak for Los Angeles), James was spotted in a viral scene where he appeared to confront ESPN’s outspoken talking head, Stephen A. Smith.
After the Lakers beat Smith’s beloved New York Knicks Thursday night, the victorious James swiftly approached Smith, who was court side, and appeared to exchange anything but pleasantries.
You can see the viral incident for yourself below:
Wonder what LeBron was saying to Stephen A smith here pic.twitter.com/EN50Cth0Mr
— FlightMike (Mikerophone) (@TheFlightMike) March 7, 2025
Do you ever watch NBA games?
Smith addressed the incident on Friday’s edition of one of his flagship programs, “First Take”:
.@stephenasmith describes his moment with LeBron James last night at Lakers-Knicks. pic.twitter.com/ZZyUnOOwYZ
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 7, 2025
According to Smith, James took particular umbrage with the way that Smith — and ostensibly the network he’s the face of — discusses his son, Bronny.
Now, while most agree that children of public figures should generally be off-limits, Bronny’s is a special case, and not just because he’s a public figure himself as an NBA player.
Namely, accusations of “nepotism” have hounded Bronny because many believe that his current skill level didn’t warrant his already humble draft position. (He was drafted 55th out of 58 picks.)
Those allegations didn’t grow any quieter when Bronny was assigned to the Lakers G-League (minor league) squad to further develop.
While Smith acknowledged LeBron James’ point of view, in terms of being a protective father, he still took issue overall.
“What I would have said [to James], if we were in a different environment, because I was not going to engage in a confrontation at that particular moment in that setting,” Smith began. “But if we had had that conversation, I would’ve said to LeBron James, ‘I never would speak negatively about your son. I was talking about you.’
“Meaning you, LeBron James.
“I have nothing but the best wishes for Bronny James. I wish him nothing but the best. I hope that he flourishes into an NBA star.”
Smith pointed out that he took issue with “the position that he was put in by his dad,” and not Bronny himself.
James, obviously, doesn’t feel the same way, which led to the viral, frosty exchange.
The Lakers next play Monday, when they face the Brooklyn Nets. They will be without James, who is nursing a day-to-day adductor injury.
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