NBA superstar LeBron James took to Instagram to mock ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith’s boxing form following a day of back-and-forth exchanges between the two high-profile figures.
The tension escalated Wednesday when James appeared on Pat McAfee’s show and criticized Smith for his recent comments, particularly regarding his son Bronny.
“He’s like on a Taylor Swift run right now,” James said of Smith. “He literally started off ‘I didn’t want to address it, but since the video came out I feel the need to address it,’ like motherf–er are you kidding me? If there’s one person who couldn’t wait until the video dropped to address it, is your a–.”
James continued by clarifying his position: “He completely missed the whole point, never would I ever not allow people to criticize players about what they do on the court. That’s your job to criticize or to be in a position if a guy is not performing, that’s all part of the game, but when you take it and get personal with it, it’s my job to not only protect my damn household, and to protect my players.”
The Lakers star added that Smith would likely be “happy as hell” and “smiling from ear to ear” at the mention, even suggesting he would “get home and grab some ice cream from the f-ng freezer and sit in his tighty whiteys on the couch.”
Hours later, Smith responded on his YouTube channel, saying, “I just want to say for the record, LeBron James is full of it, and in this particular instance as it pertains to his son, he is a liar, and he went on national television, and he lied again.”
The commentator then made a bold claim about how he would have reacted if their recent sideline confrontation had turned physical.
“I would have gotten my a– kicked, because if that man had put his hands on me, I would have immediately swung on him. Immediately,” Smith declared.
After James hit a game-winner against the Indiana Pacers, he posted a video on Instagram that appeared to mock Smith’s boxing claims, showing exaggerated boxing movements that fans quickly connected to Smith’s comments.
Social media erupted with reactions to the ongoing feud, with many users sharing clips of Smith’s physical demonstrations alongside humorous comments about his hypothetical confrontation with the 6’9″ NBA champion.
The dispute reportedly began when James confronted Smith during a Lakers game two weeks ago, with Smith claiming James was upset about comments made regarding his son Bronny.
