Stephen A. Smith: LeBron confrontation was due to Bronny coverage
ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith confirmed Friday that he was confronted by LeBron James over his coverage of Bronny James, LeBron's son and rookie teammate.
The brief, face-to-face exchange was captured by a fan at Crypto.com Arena following the Los Angeles Lakers' 113-109 overtime win against the New York Knicks on Thursday. LeBron appeared upset with Smith as he said something to the 57-year-old and turned toward the locker room.
Smith addressed the incident on "First Take." The confrontation was unexpected, according to Smith, who said he couldn't repeat what LeBron told him because the words aren't "suited for FCC airwaves."
The analyst added that he initially didn't want to discuss the altercation publicly but was contacted by several people after the footage went viral.
"That wasn't a basketball player confronting me. That was a parent. That was a father," Smith said. "And I can't sit here and be angry, or feel slighted, by LeBron James in any way in that regard.
"By all accounts, he's obviously a wonderful family man and a wonderful father who cares very, very deeply about his son. And based on some of the comments that he had heard - or shall I say, I think he thought he heard - he clearly took exception to some of the things he heard me say and he confronted me about it."
Smith publicly rebuked Bronny on a Jan. 29 episode of "First Take" after the 20-year-old was held scoreless over 15 minutes against the Philadelphia 76ers the previous night. He claimed the rookie was "in the NBA because of his dad" and issued a public plea to LeBron to acknowledge his son was "not ready yet" for the league.
On an episode of his podcast later that day, Smith revealed his comments attracted the attention of members of LeBron's camp, who said he had questioned the Lakers star as a father. Smith took issue with the complaints and called LeBron's sensitivity "beyond the pale."
The New York native has also voiced his support for Bronny's NBA career, notably calling out critics who cited nepotism after the Lakers drafted the USC product 55th overall in the 2024 draft.
Smith has worked in several radio and television roles throughout multiple stints with ESPN over two decades. He recently agreed to a new five-year contract with the network worth at least $100 million, sources told The Athletic's Andrew Marchand.