Jemele Hill knows exactly what it’s like to be in Stephen A. Smith’s shoes. Well, maybe not to the letter, but she’s certainly been where he is.
Her immediate reaction to Smith being confronted by LeBron James? “Good.”
But it’s not for the reasons you might think.
As a veteran journalist, Hill has been in her fair share of tough spots. She’s spent years navigating locker rooms, facing off with players and writing things that didn’t always sit well with those she covered. It’s all part of the job.
“At some point, you’re going to piss somebody off,” she said in a video posted to her YouTube channel. “At some point, you’re going to write something they don’t agree with.”
And that’s the value of being in those rooms and having access to players and coaches, according to Hill.
“It keeps you honest as a reporter,” she adds. “See, you write and talk about people differently when you have to face them eventually. And I found out a few times, for sure. And when I got to television, when I started regularly appearing on ESPN and certainly when I got my own show, I had one simple rule… don’t say anything about a player that you would not say to their face. If I can’t tell you that same criticism while we’re in each other’s face, then I don’t need to say it on TV.”
Hill’s perspective stems from her early years in journalism when seasoned veterans taught her that if you write something controversial, you have to own it — no matter who it is
“When you write some sh*t that an athlete or a coach might disagree with, you gotta go in the locker room the next day and be like, ‘Yeah, I’m here. And if you’ve got a problem with it, let’s talk about it,'” Hill added.
In her mind, this was a healthy dynamic for both the journalist and the athlete. Sure, it could be intimidating initially, but as Hill matured, she saw it as a way to keep both sides honest.
“I’m unlikely to say some reckless sh*t if I have to stand on it and stand on it in your face,” she says. “And if I do say something that’s critical, and we have that conversation, and you’re able to express as the athlete or the coach why you didn’t like something, and you see me standing for it, it actually allows you to gain some respect for me.”
Smith, on the other hand, is an entirely different story. His confrontation with LeBron was a different animal. He called the encounter “bullsh*t” and insisted it was never about Bronny, LeBron’s son.
“That’s a good dynamic that we have to have, but unfortunately, with the way things work now, a lot of teams, they try to limit — severely limit — access by journalists to players,” the former ESPN star explained. “And I get it. Nobody loves facing media, but it’s a part of what the dynamic is. The media, while it’s not our job to promote the game, but the conversation, the things we write, the things that we say, wind up generating conversation about the league. And to some degree, we serve [as] an extension of fans that want to know things.
“So, having us around, while again, it may be a nuisance to some players, but some players embrace it — they loved being talked about, OK?”
Looking at you, Aaron Rodgers.
“While it might be some bit of a nuisance, it’s also something that I think is healthy for both parties, if you know what I’m saying,” says Hill. “Now, I’m not going to pretend I heard every single thing Stephen A. said about LeBron’s son, about Bronny, but to me, it’s very simple: as long as he keeps it to basketball, that’s it. Critiquing and judging Bronny as a basketball player is fair game.”
That’s exactly what The Ringer founder Bill Simmons said, with ‘The Sports Guy,’ adding that it’s “pretty nuts” that LeBron would expect people not to know about his eldest son.
“It doesn’t matter if you say something positive. It doesn’t matter if you say something negative — whatever that is,” Hill continues. “Critiquing him as a basketball player is fair. Now, from what I can glean and certainly how a lot of people have responded to this, the issue is… Was he critiquing his parenting by saying, ‘It’s LeBron’s fault that Bronny is in this situation?’ That’s a really slippery slope because you’re coming at somebody who, by all intents and purposes from what we know, is a great father.”
Smith pleaded with LeBron “as a father” to stop putting Bronny in a situation that he clearly wasn’t ready for. That’s when he said he received a phone call from Klutch Sports and later a direct one-on-one with LeBron courtside at Crypto.com Arena.
“I can understand why LeBron would take offense to that,” said Hill. “LeBron, especially, if you know his background, he’s someone from what I understand, does not have a relationship with his father — and he’s always talked openly about how Black fatherhood is very important to him. He’s tried to put all of his children in the best possible situation, be it through his wealth, be it through opportunities. That’s what he’s done. That’s what a father is supposed to do.
“And so, I think LeBron had every right to defend his family, but Stephen A. has a right to critique his son. And I know it can be tough if you’re a father — again — as long as he’s keeping it to basketball. It can be tough for a father; it can be tough for any parent if any situation you feel like your children are being hurt. I mean, it’s your job as a parent to be a protector.”
Hill doesn’t have an issue with LeBron confronting Smith, and she doesn’t think Smith has a problem with it either — unless, of course, he’s playing up his “bullsh*t” comments for the sake of playing them up. Hill also suspects that this isn’t the first time Smith has been confronted in such a public manner.
“He’s mature enough in this business and a vet in this business to understand what that dynamic is like,” she says. “I think it’s alright if that confrontation takes place… And you know this as a journalist, there’s a lot of players that aren’t gonna like you. And there’s a lot of coaches, too, that won’t like you and won’t like what you have to say.”
Hill sees the confrontation as a natural part of the business — uncomfortable but necessary. Both LeBron and Smith have their reasons, and while the clash may have been heated, it’s all part of the game when you’re in the public eye.
Whether it’s LeBron or any other player, if you speak your mind, you’ve got to own it when it comes back at you.
Simple as that.
