ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James have done their fair share of butting heads recently. After Smith made some comments about Bronny James, LeBron’s son, and his presence with the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron confronted Smith personally in the middle of one of the Lakers’ games.
Smith responded with a media tour where he called James out for his actions. It doesn’t look like the back-and-forth is stopping anytime soon, either, as Smith had another harsh take on Wednesday morning.
“Nobody was gonna impede Kobe. Nobody was gonna impede MJ. Nobody was gonna impede Duncan … But him? I believe he would’ve been impeded—which is why I have Jordan,” Smith said on his popular debate show, First Take.
Fans reacted to Smith’s statement on social media.
“He was 18 when he came into the league and didn’t get impeded despite his own teammates hating on him. But sure, Stephen A (we all know why at this point) has now resorted to changing history as per his liking,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“MJ has a legitimate argument in the later part of his career, however… Kobe – lost to Duncan and the Pistons in back to back years then went years without winning Duncan – Definitely let Kobe and Shaq impede him multiple times along with other Western conference opponents,” one fan added.
“Not saying LeBron’s the GOAT but it’s pretty clear this has been more talent than ever in the league during LeBrons era,” someone else added.
It’ll be interesting to see if LeBron decides to address Smith’s latest comments.