LOS ANGELES —- During an overtime thriller between the Lakers and Knicks at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday night, video footage caught LeBron James sharing some words with outspoken ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith.
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Damn LeBron stepped to Stephen A Smith👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/ZJIDcPU4dL
— LegendOfWinning (@LegendOfWinning) March 7, 2025
For those trying to decipher what was said by reading lips, it certainly appears that LeBron was allegedly telling Stephen A. to "keep my son [Bronny] out of this."
“I’MMA TELL YOU ONE TIME, BRO. KEEP MY SON OUT OF THIS ****, BRO.”
What LeBron James allegedly said to Stephen A. Smith during a break in the Lakers vs. Knicks game 😳🗣️ pic.twitter.com/0UfEups4jb
— 𝗧𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗴 (@23_Sabog) March 7, 2025
All in all, the only ones to know for sure what was said are those who were eavesdropping in on the conversation.
This guy knows exactly what lebron said to Stephen a smith. He looks shocked https://t.co/LyD8fpCHFe pic.twitter.com/DYUYPztot0
— CG (@TorontoCeltics) March 7, 2025
When looking at the game, the Lakers defeated the Knicks 113-109, and much in part was due to yet another LeBron James masterclass performance at 40 years old.
The newly inaugurated 50k point club member contributed 31 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. While his co-superstar Luka Doncic added 32 points, 7 rebounds, and 12 assists.
LUKA & LEBRON LEAD THE LAKERS TO THEIR 8TH STRAIGHT WIN 🙌
🌟 Luka: 32 PTS, 12 AST, 7 REB, 4 STL
🌟 LeBron: 31 PTS, 12 REB, 8 ASTLAL improves to 8-2 with Dončić in the lineup with a trip to Boston coming up on Saturday 🍿 pic.twitter.com/WrCNu8f6eL
— NBA (@NBA) March 7, 2025
As for Stephen A., it was recently announced he would be getting a five-year/$100 million-dollar contract extension with ESPN.
Notably, much of Smith's success is attributed to his straight from the shoulder takes, that often times includes nit-picking both LeBron and Bronny.
"I am pleading with LeBron James, as a father. Stop this." 😳 @stephenasmith reacts to Bronny James' play in the Lakers 118-104 loss to the 76ers. pic.twitter.com/bk5D0DS42N
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 29, 2025
With this in mind, some believe he is a bit over-the-top with some of the narratives he tries to push for clicks and views.
In view of LeBron facing unwarranted criticism from the media, famous streamer Kai Cenat actually blasted 57-year-old Stephen A. on his ESPN First Take show.
Kai Cenat goes after Stephen A. Smith
"When it comes to LeBron James, you start hating. That's how I feel. Because I feel like you're more of an older generation type of dude."
(🎥 @FirstTake / h/t @awfulannouncing )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 6, 2025
"When it comes to LeBron James, you start hating," Cenat said directly to the veteran TV host, while they were engaged in a heated 'GOAT debate.'
Everyone needs to watch this clip and see how much Stephen A Smith dislikes LeBron James.
Molly checked him and through it all still showed his hatred.
🎥 (@FirstTake) pic.twitter.com/1qYX4GEDlY
— 🎗NBA•Fan🎗 (@Klutch_23) March 5, 2025
And recently LeBron called out the media as a whole for disparaging comments that are constantly made against the game's biggest stars.
Lebron: "Why do you wanna be the face of the league when all the people that cover our game sh*t on everybody?”
Nailed it. We need to celebrate players.
— CelticsUnite (@CelticsUnite18) February 28, 2025
Ultimately, some media members, such as Brian Windhorst, are even admitting they have been too critical of the world's all-time leading scorer throughout his career.
Brian Windhorst admits that he made a mistake voting for James Harden over LeBron for MVP in 2018
"The longer I've thought about it, the more I've realized how great LeBron was in this season."
(Via @FirstTake / h/t @awfulannouncing )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 6, 2025
