Stephen A. Smith unloads on LeBron James: 'I would've immediately swung on him'

[ASFN Admin]

Everyone is talking about the interview LeBron James did that aired on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" on Wednesday. Among the many topics he discussed was the conflict he has with ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith.

Several weeks ago, Smith criticized James' alleged involvement in his son Bronny's NBA career, which led to him confronting Smith during a game between the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks a few weeks later. Smith took exception to what the elder James said on "The Pat McAfee Show," and he had some seemingly harsh things to say about the four-time MVP on "The Stephen A. Smith Show" as a result.

Smith said that if the superstar had gotten physical with him, he would've gotten violent. He even referenced Will Smith infamously slapping Chris Rock in the face during the 2022 Oscars.

"You see, when he approached me while I was sitting courtside at that game against the New York Knicks -- when he rolled up on me, I didn't know he was gonna roll up on me. I had no idea. But when he said what he had to say, I was in no position to give any kind of retort without making a scene.

"... Had I done something, what do y'all want me to do? You want this to be a reincarnation of Chris Rock and Will Smith? And let me state for the record that while we bring up that, let me assure you it wouldn't have gone down like that. I would've gotten my [expletive] kicked. Because if that man put his hands on me, I would've immediately swung on him. Immediately. That I'm not gonna tolerate."

Smith repeated his assertion that his initial comments in late January weren't directed at the younger James, but at the elder James. The superstar claimed that Smith "missed the whole point" and said it's his "job to not only protect my damn household but protect the players."

But on his show, Smith took things a step further and accused the elder James of being a "liar" and being passive aggressive, accusations others have made of the future Hall of Famer.

"The real point at hand is this: LeBron James continues to lie. He hoodwinked y'all into thinking that he was upset about criticism about his son. If your son is a professional basketball player and I was talking about your son as a basketball player, since you just went on Pat McAfee's show and said you would never knock anybody for talking about the game, then what is it that I said? What I said was, as a father, stop. I wasn't talking about you as a father as somebody that's home minding your business and I just call you out because your son is in this position. That's not the father I've been talking about.

"How do you mention Bronny James without bringing up how he got drafted by the Lakers — how he got drafted, period? How do you bring that up without bringing up LeBron James saying he was better than some NBA players before he got to the NBA? How do you bring that up without bringing up that LeBron James said, 'If you want me, draft my son. At this point, it ain't about the money. I'll play for free.'?

"... Because there's one person in this ordeal that's telling the truth, and it's me. I don't lie to y'all.

"His [expletive] lies a lot. And there's a lot of shady stuff that he does. And one of the things is his passive-aggressiveness, and the two-facedness, and smiling in your face and dig you in behind your back. I happen to know that about him. Which is why I don't like him, and he don't like me."

Needless to say, one should expect more developments in this beef between the two men moving forward.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Stephen A. Smith: 'I would've immediately swung on' LeBron James

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