Stephen A. Calls Out LeBron James Over Confrontation, Says 'We Don't Like Each Other'

Stephen A. Smith accused Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James of using his son Bronny James "as an excuse" to confront the ESPN analyst on the sideline of a March 6 game against the New York Knicks.

Smith addressed the incident when asked about his relationship with James in a Q&A with Rolling Stone's Danyel Smith.

"I have nothing to say about that. I don’t like him, and he don’t like me," Smith answered. "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.

"He hid behind his son, 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."

James was seen leaving a Lakers team huddle to confront Smith in a courtside conversation that quickly went viral in March.

Smith later confirmed on ESPN's First Take that James had approached him "to confront me about making sure that I mind what I say about his son."

"That wasn't a basketball player confronting me. That was a parent. That was a father," Smith said shortly after the incident. "And I can't sit here and be angry, or feel slighted by LeBron James and any way in that regard. By all accounts, he's obviously a wonderful family man and a wonderful father who cares very, very deeply about his son."

Smith had previously criticized the Lakers' decision to play Bronny James after selecting him with the No. 55 pick of the 2024 NBA draft. He asked James "as a father" to stop the Lakers from giving the 20-year-old playing time on a January episode of First Take.

James later said on ESPN's The Pat McAfee Show that Smith had "completely missed the whole point" of their conversation.

“Never would I ever not allow people to talk about the sport, criticize players about what they do on the court,” James told McAfee on March 26. “That is your job to criticize or to be in a position where, okay, if a guy is not performing, that is all part of the game. That’s all part of the game. But when you take it and you get personal with it, it’s my job to not only protect my damn household but protect the players.”

Bronny James is signed through 2026-27 with a club option for 2027-28. His father has yet to take his player option with the Lakers for next season, but recently confirmed to the Associated Press' Jonathan Landrum Jr. that he is planning to return for a 23rd NBA season next fall.