Stephen A. Smith and LeBron James don’t appear to have a good relationship, but it stems from something bigger than Bronny James.
It’s been nearly two weeks since James confronted Smith in-person during a Los Angeles Lakers game at Crypto.com Arena. And while the moment didn’t bode well for James, Smith incessantly addressing, responding and talking about the incident isn’t a great look either. But after Dwyane Wade spoke about it on Carmelo Anthony’s podcast, it opened the door for Smith to talk about his feud with James again, “once and for all.”
“It’s been stewing for years,” Smith said of his seemingly fractured relationship with James. “See, what I’ve gotten pissed about with this particular subject is that too many people aren’t touching on the truth. Melo and D-Wade did. Me and LeBron don’t have a relationship. LeBron don’t mess with me and I don’t mess with him. I respect the hell out of him. He’s number two on the list of all-time. And I didn’t always feel this way about him, there are times I didn’t like how he treated Black media.”
ESPN’s $100 million talent didn’t go into detail about his issue with the way James has treated Black media throughout his career, only making sure to note he was always above any of those mistreatments.
“I’m not talking about myself,” Smith insisted. “Because I’m on a certain level and I watched how others got treated and I didn’t like that.”
Smith went on to note that he’s always been kind to James’ family and gets along well with all of his business partners. But his relationship with James is different.
“Me and LeBron, we don’t roll like that,” Smith added. “Hi and bye. He don’t have much use for me and I damn sure don’t have much use for him.”
Except for the last two weeks, where Smith made sure to milk this incident for all its worth. James confronted Smith during an NBA game, which is absurd, but at least he left it there. This hasn’t been a continued talking point for the NBA’s all-time scoring leader, nor should it be, because he’s on a certain level.
Smith, however, appears to be relishing the fact that James took time out of an NBA game to confront him. And despite Smith insisting this was the last time he’s going to address their feud, we’re already waiting for the next time.
