An altercation between Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has gone viral. During the Lakers win over the New York Knicks in overtime on March 6, James could be seen speaking to Smith, and the NBA’s oldest player didn’t look all that happy, either.
LeBron looked like he wanted to kill Stephen A. Smith 😳 pic.twitter.com/WmX5Dhxyw9
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) March 7, 2025
Smith went on to admit that James told him to be mindful of how he talks about his son Bronny. He also said that he couldn’t repeat what the elder James said to him over FCC airwaves.
One person who seemingly took exception to the elder James confronting Smith regarding his comments on the younger James is American professional mixed martial artist Colby Covington. He directed plenty of NSFW language the elder James’ way and even threatened him with physical violence.
Colby Covington WENT OFF on LeBron James for his altercation with Stephen A Smith
“F**k LeBron James you b**h ass motherf****r. Come see a real ass motherf*****g OG and get your ass knocked the f**k out without your private security” 😳 pic.twitter.com/goUzydpTC9
— FULL SEND MMA (@full_send_mma) March 8, 2025
Covington has been critical of the elder James for years now. Back in the year 2021, he accused the elder James of using his schools as “tax write-offs for his billion-dollar business.” He also called the elder James a “Chinese finger puppet” that year after he criticized soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The elder James and the Lakers saw their winning streak come to an end at eight games at the hands of the defending champion Boston Celtics on Saturday night. The four-time champion had a fantastic all-around performance in the losing effort, as he totaled 22 points on 11-of-23 shooting from the floor to go along with 14 rebounds and nine assists.
Saturday marked the team’s first defeat since Los Angeles fell to the lowly Charlotte Hornets by three points several weeks ago on Feb. 19. That was the Lakers’ first game back following the All-Star break.
The Lakers will have a prime chance to pick up the ninth win in their last 10 games when they play the next contest on their 82-game schedule on Monday.
Los Angeles will face off against a Brooklyn Nets team that has lost seven games in a row and has a record of just 21-42 on the season. The Nets employ none other than guard D’Angelo Russell, who was a member of the storied franchise earlier on in the 2024-25 season.