As soon as it was first announced that LeBron James would be appearing on The Pat McAfee Show this week, one of the first connections many made was the Los Angeles Lakers superstar’s ongoing feud with Stephen A. Smith.
And McAfee — who has reportedly had his own issues with Smith in the past — didn’t disappoint, providing James with the opportunity to break his silence on the matter.
The 4-time MVP obliged, offering his first public comments about the viral confrontation between the two that took place during a Lakers game earlier this month. And like many, James mocked the amount of times Smith has addressed the situation himself, despite the First Take star’s insistence that he actually didn’t want to.
“He’s like on a Taylor Swift tour run right now,” James said of Smith.
“Oh yeah, we’re watching it,” McAfee replied.
“It started off with, ‘I didn’t wanna address it. I didn’t wanna address it. I wasn’t going to address it, but since the video came out, I feel the need to address it,'” James continued mimicking Smith’s initial comments. “Are you, are you kidding me? If there’s one person that couldn’t wait for the video to drop so you could address it, it’s your ass. Like seriously?”
James proceeded to state that Smith had “missed the whole point” of his issue with the ESPN star, which stemmed over his comments regarding Bronny James’ playing time with the Lakers. Despite many believing otherwise, James insisted that he’s OK with his oldest son facing criticism as an NBA player; he just felt Smith’s comments had crossed a line.
“Never would I ever not allow people to talk about the sport, criticize players about what they do on the court,” the 40-year-old forward said. “That is your job to criticize or to be in a position where, OK, if a guy’s not performing… that is all part of the game.
“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. And I think a lot of the media, including him — and I know he’s gonna be happy as hell. He’s gonna be smiling from ear to ear when he hears me talking about him again. Oh my God, he’s, he’s gonna get home and grab some ice cream out of the f**king freezer and sit in his chair in his tighty whities on the couch…. like, dude, like relax, bro, like relax, like seriously.”
“Stephen A Smith is on a Taylor Swift tour run right now 😂😂
He completely missed the whole point..
He got personal with it and it’s my job to not only protect my own household but also all the players” @KingJames #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/LKKFmvtFWM
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 26, 2025
While LeBron James seemed to lose his train of thought while envisioning Stephen A. Smith’s reaction to him talking about him, the bigger story here is that this was all happening on ESPN airwaves.
Just weeks after Smith signed a reported $100 million contract to remain at the Worldwide Leader, the network was airing a heavily promoted and commercial-free interview featuring the most famous athlete on the planet criticizing him. All the while another one of the network’s signature talents in McAfee laughed along.
Such is life at ESPN in 2025, especially with regard to its setup with Pat McAfee, who produces and leases his daily show to the network. As LeBron James alluded to, his comments will surely inspire a response from Stephen A. Smith, further keeping their feud alive. And that appears to be just fine with ESPN — especially if all of it is happening on the network’s own airwaves.