"I don't like him, and he don't like me" - Stephen A. Smith opens about his feud with LeBron James
"I don't like him, and he don't like me" - Stephen A. Smith opens about his feud with LeBron James originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Stephen A. Smith's feud with LeBron James has been well-documented. The ESPN analyst has been vocal about it, especially on his shows, but he's still trying to remain objective when discussing the superstar forward.
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"I have nothing to say about that," Smith said in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine's Danyel Smith. "I don't like him, and he don't like me. He's one of the greatest players who's ever lived. I'm going to show him that respect, and I'm going to cover him objectively. When he does great, I'm gonna applaud. When he doesn't do great, I'm not gonna applaud."
LeBron hiding behind Bronny?
The feud culminated during the Los Angeles Lakers-New York Knicks game at Crypto.com Arena on March 6. James approached Smith during a quarter break, and the two exchanged words. According to the latter, the Lakers superstar told him to keep his son, Bronny, out of his incendiary commentary, which mainly revolved around the younger James' perceived unreadiness to play in the big league.
"That was LeBron James coming up to me, unexpectedly, I might add, to confront me about making sure that I mind what I say about his son," Smith said introspectively on "First Take." "Can't repeat the words because they ain't suited for FCC airwaves. That's what he was doing… That wasn't a basketball player confronting me; that was a father."
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Smith clarified that he wasn't rooting against Bronny but criticizing the Lakers superstar for putting his son in a position he wasn't ready for. The veteran analyst eventually softened his stance on James. Jr, after the latter's career-high performance against the Milwaukee Bucks. That changed his tone, though not the core of his critique.
In hindsight, though, Smith believed the issue went deeper than just his commentary about Bronny.
"He hid behind his son," he said, "tried to make something out of nothing, as if I was dogging his son, which I was not. The real issue was we don't like each other. And he used that as an excuse to confront me. I got it."
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It was a sentiment Smith had already expressed two weeks after the original incident.
He's long been critical of the four-time MVP and has consistently ranked Michael Jordan ahead of him in the GOAT debate. James simply waited for Smith to say something about Bronny and used it to pull him aside in front of thousands in the arena.
Related: "LeBron has no chance to win another trophy so now they don't matter" - Colin Cowherd rips LeBron James for his take on NBA ring culture
Stephen A. vows to keep it fair
Despite the friction between them, the veteran journalist made it clear that personal feelings would not undermine his work.
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"We're never gonna like each other. It's not gonna stop me from doing my job," Smith further told Rolling Stone. "He'll be treated just like any other player I cover. Nobody is going to get me to compromise my professional integrity. I don't have to like you to be fair to you."
Over the years, Smith has clashed with countless athletes, including Terrell Owens, Kwame Brown and Ja Morant. He stood on business, insisting that criticism comes with the territory when you're constantly in the spotlight.
With LeBron, it's no different. The respect is there, but so is the scrutiny, regardless of how personal things feel. Stephen A. won't always get it right, but then again, he won't play it safe, either.
Related: Stephen A. says Giannis Antetokounmpo will be an underachiever if he does not win another title: "That's not acceptable"
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
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