Hall of Fame football star Shannon Sharpe wants Stephen A. Smith to “let it go,” which isn’t going to happen because of all the attention the ESPN personality is receiving for his feud with Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.
Sports rivalries normally involve team vs. team or coaches vs. coaches, not star athletes and the people who cover them. That has changed in the world of social media, where one thing can become an even bigger thing until it receives far more attention than it deserves.
“I see both sides of the equation, but Stephen A. just needs to let it go,” Mr. Sharpe said during his “Night Cap” podcast. “He needs to let it go.”
Can’t we all just get along? The drama began in January when Mr. Smith said on his ESPN morning show First Take that Mr. James “as a father” should stop promoting his son Bronny as an NBA-caliber player. Bronny James was drafted by the Lakers in the second round last June. Earlier this season, the duo became the first father and son to play together in an NBA game.
Bronny James was then sent to the G-League, but returned to the Lakers and struggled, including a game against the Philadelphia 76ers where he was 0-for-5 with three turnovers, prompting Mr. Smith’s disparaging remarks. “We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad,” Mr. Smith said, adding, “We know he’s not ready yet.”
Mr. James took umbrage with the remarks and confronted Mr. Smith on March 6 during a Lakers game at Crypto.com Arena. Several sources claim Mr. James told Mr. Smith, “to keep my son’s name out of your mouth.”
Since then, Mr. Smith has repeatedly talked about the confrontation on his various platforms. Mr. James remained quiet until making an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday, where he took Mr. Smith to task.
“Never would I ever not allow people who talk about the sport to criticize players about what they do on the court,” Mr. James said. “That’s your job to criticize….When you take it and get personal with it, it’s my job not only to protect my damn household, but protect the players.”
Mr. James added this jab: “I know he’s going to be happy as hell when he hears me talking about him. He’s going to get home and grab some ice cream out of the freezer and sit in his chair in his tighty-whities on the couch. Relax, bro.”
Of course, Mr. Smith wasted no time addressing Mr. James’s remarks. The back-and-forth attracts attention, clicks, and eyeballs, which are the most valuable commodities in media these days. He called Mr. James a liar and added on his YouTube show that if Mr. James “put his hands on me, I would have immediately swung on him. Immediately. That I’m not going to tolerate.”
Interestingly, Mr. James chose to air his grievances on the Pat McAfee Show, which is aired by ESPN, the same network that recently signed Mr. Smith to a five-year $100 million contract.
His controversial and often bombastic approach has made the former newspaper beat reporter a household name. He has ventured into political commentary and floated ideas about running for president.
“I’ve got a lot of things I want to achieve, a lot of things that I want to accomplish in my life that extend beyond the show and beyond the world of sports,” Mr. Smith said. “But it all starts here,” he said after his deal became public.
Meanwhile, Bronny James remains a work in progress. He scored 17 points in the Lakers’ 118-89 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on March 20 before scoring a career-high 39 points in a G-League game on Monday, followed by a 17-point game on Tuesday. He has since been recalled by the Lakers, who play in Chicago Thursday night and in Memphis Saturday.