LeBron James had a viral moment with ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith after the Los Angeles Lakers 113-109 victory over the New York Knicks on Thursday night.
James and the Lakers completed a fourth-quarter comeback to push their contest against the Knicks into overtime. The star and father of Bronny James finished with 31 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists as Los Angeles won its eighth game in a row.
LeBron James got into it with Stephen A. Smith
LeBron didn’t appear to have too much jubilation following the win. Cameras caught the superstar having a heated moment with Smith after the game. Folks on social media thought LeBron used some NSFW language while standing up for his son Bronny.
LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith sharing some words after the game tonight
Looks like Bron’s telling him “keep my son out of this sh**.” 👀
(h/t @LADEIG, via @legendofwinning) pic.twitter.com/QyOBAWO0p1
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) March 7, 2025
Defending Los And Lakers rookie Bronny James
On Friday, Smith confirmed LeBron used expletives and defended his son on ESPN’s “First Take” on Friday morning.
“That wasn’t a basketball player confronting me, that was a parent, that was a father,” Smith said. “As a father, I get it. ‘m not offended, I’m not insulted, I don’t have any animosity or animus towards LeBron James for this… I don’t think he cares, but neither do I… if I was in his position, I can’t definitively say I would not have done the same thing.”
Stephen A. Smith continued to talk about his relationship with LeBron James and the confrontation.
"As a father, I get it. I'm not offended, I'm not insulted, I don't have any animosity or animus towards LeBron James for this… I don't think he cares, but neither do I… if I… pic.twitter.com/U9Pd9UUrxz
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 7, 2025
A journalist’s job is to cover things…good and bad
While Smith understands Lebron’s point of view, he said his job is to “cover” things that happen in the public sphere.
“I don’t want enemies… but I also get paid to call it like I see it,” Smith said. “What I said at the time, I stand by what I said… what I said about LeBron was fact-based.”
Smith has been critical of how LeBron advocated for the Lakers to draft Bronny and how the young player has appeared on the court for Los Angeles despite not appearing ready for the moment.
Bronny has appeared in 18 games for the Lakers and is averaging 1.4 points, .04 rebounds, and .4 assists per game.
LeBron and Bronny invited criticism when he chose to go pro. That’s part of being a professional athlete. Bronny would do better to prove doubters on the court wrong rather than have LeBron stand up for him on and off the court.
LeBron’s actions appear to show he doesn’t have faith that his son can take care of his business and settle the score on the hardwood.
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