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LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith‘s courtside confrontation at Madison Square Garden has set the sports world on fire. The heated exchange, caught on video, saw the NBA legend approach the outspoken ESPN analyst during the Lakers’ overtime win against the Knicks. While the audio remains unclear, LeBron’s body language strongly suggested that the tense moment was personal.
Smith is known for his brash opinions about professional athletes, so it was a shock to see him appearing momentarily stunned as LeBron leaned in to say something to him before abruptly walking away. Social media detectives have since dissected the viral clip, with many speculating that LeBron might have aggressively urged Smith to keep his son’s name out of the latter’s mouth.
“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 😳🗣️
Thoughts? 🤔
Via. @LegendOfWinning pic.twitter.com/VOvxOfdMH3
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) March 7, 2025
Smith has been a vocal critic of James’ 20-year-old son, Bronny James. The ESPN personality has been questioning whether Bronny, who has struggled in his first 13 NBA games, truly earned his spot on the Lakers’ roster or if nepotism played a role for him to get in. Smith has repeatedly pointed out the younger James’ underwhelming stats, arguing that while his defensive skills show promise, his surname carries more weight than his performance on the basketball court.
As a father, the NBA superstar purportedly did not let this slide when he encountered Smith. However, James has been tightlipped ever since their confrontation. Smith, on the other hand, addressed the viral moment on ESPN’s The First Take. He clarified that their encounter was mostly driven by James’ fatherly instincts. Hence, he did not see it as a professional basketball player striking an argument with a journalist.
“That wasn’t a basketball player confronting me. That was a parent… [LeBron] clearly took exception to some of the things I said… He elected to confront me while I was sitting courtside… He feels like I was slighting his son,” Smith said. The analyst went on to say he had no intention of discussing the moment publicly but felt forced to after the footage exploded online.
He continued, “Can’t repeat the words because they ain’t suited for FCC airwaves, that’s what he was doing. And I thought long and hard about this over the last few hours cause I had no intention on talking about this at all. And the reason was because it was a one-on-one, I wouldn’t say it was a conversation but it was a one-on-one confrontation.”
.@stephenasmith describes his moment with LeBron James last night at Lakers-Knicks. pic.twitter.com/ZZyUnOOwYZ
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 7, 2025
LeBron has been very protective of his family, so it does not come as a surprise that he is taking issue with what he perceived as an unfair attack on Bronny. And while Smith insisted he harbors no ill will toward the father and son, he maintained that the issue could have been handled differently. He said that the Lakers star’s camp has his number and could have reached out to him privately. “[But] that is not what he elected to do. Instead, he elected to confront me while I was sitting courtside,” Smith explained.
Smith, who is in the process of negotiating a five-year, $100 million deal with ESPN per Fox Sports, maintained that, if anything, his analysis has never been a personal attack against James’ son. He was only pointing out the father’s influence on his son’s career. Outside of it, he said he only wants what’s best for Bronny and see him flourish into an NBA star.