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ESPN First Take host seemingly shrugs off stern courtside lecture from Lakers star that went viral Thursday
Published Mar 07, 2025 • 2 minute read
Stephen A. Smith sits courtside at an NBA game.
Stephen A. Smith, centre left, sits courtside during the first half of an NBA basketball game between the New York Knicks and the Golden State Warriors in New York, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. Photo by Peter K. Afriyie /AP Photo
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EPSN personality Stephen A. Smith got dunked on by fans and media alike for his “kid-glove treatment” of LeBron James after seemingly shrugging off a stern courtside lecture from the Lakers star during Los Angeles’ 113-109 win Thursday over the visiting New York Knicks.
The First Take host opened the show Friday by discussing the viral incident and said it stemmed from James defending his son Bronny James, a 20-year-old whose struggles on the court during his rookie Lakers season led to Smith saying on air last month that Bronny is “in the NBA because of his dad.”
Lip readers on social media speculated that LeBron told Smith to “keep my son out of this s—” during their courtside clash, according to the New York Post. But Smith said on First Take that as a father, he “really understood where he (James) was coming from.
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Stephen A. Smith begins First Take confirming that LeBron James confronted him at last night's Lakers game over comments about Bronny James.
"That wasn't a basketball player confronting me, that was a parent, that was a father." pic.twitter.com/QTWmScRIGF
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 7, 2025
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“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 in his monologue while video of the incident was being played.
“I can’t repeat the words because they ain’t suited for FCC (Federal Communications Commission) airwaves. That’s what he was doing.”
Smith’s ho-hum dismissal of the incident was blasted online as being “pathetic” with some accusing the ESPN host of being “completely bullied” by LeBron. It also caught the attention of Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, who accused Smith of using “kid-glove treatment” on LeBron.
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“If that’s anyone else, he’s ripping this guy apart,” Portnoy said in a video posted to the social-media site X.
Portnoy also had some choice words for LeBron, calling the incident “one of the most ridiculous controversies in the history of civilization” and the 21-time NBA all-star “one of the most sensitive babies we’ve seen in all of sports.
“LeBron doesn’t want Stephen A. or people or the media talking about Bronny, who is a professional basketball player on one of the most storied franchises in the league — No. 2 only to the Celtics,” Portnoy said.
“What are we talking about here?”
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Bronny, meanwhile, has been on an emotional roller-coaster over the last couple of years after going into cardiac arrest during a practice with the University of Southern California in July 2023.
He returned to the court months later before being drafted 55th overall by the Lakers in the 2024 NBA Draft and then became one half of the first father-son duo to play in an NBA game together when Los Angeles opened its season.
Bronny has bounced around between the NBA and the G-League since then, averaging a measly 1.4 points per game on a measly 25.8% shooting percentage from the floor in 18 games with the Lakers.
For his part, Smith said he has “nothing but the best wishes for Bronny James.
“I hope he flourishes into an NBA star … I don’t know anybody who roots against him, it certainly isn’t me,” Smith said.
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