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The feud between LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith is getting more intense with each passing day. Following the heated confrontation between the two during a Lakers game, both have been trading verbal shots at each other. The matter intensified further on Wednesday when James finally broke the silence about his viral confrontation with Smith, which received a reaction from Stephen A. Smith.
It all started after ESPN's famed analyst criticised Bronny James and went on to question his position in the NBA. LeBron then came to the rescue of his son and the heated interaction emanated. Following the episode, Stephen A. addressed the instance multiple times. Tempers were beginning to tame but LeBron James' appearance on the Pat McAfee show opened a new chapter of the feud.
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What did Bron Say?
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.”
James' words were bound to draw the attention of Stephen A. Smith, who came up with a fiery retort.
“If that man would’ve put his hands on me. I would’ve immediately swung on him. Immediately.” Smith said on First Take.
Stephen A. Smith did not stop right there, he even went on to say a few things for which he had to apologise later on.
"If LeBron James wants to see me continue to cover the sport, or he wants to have a problem with me continuously covering the sport, I suggest that he’d be happy with the things that I haven’t brought up,' he fumed.
"I never brought up, really - and never really discussed - why you were not at Kobe Bryant’s memorial service.
"I never really brought up and discussed why you did not attend Dwyane Wade’s Hall of Fame induction when that man was directly responsible for you capturing a championship for the first time in your career. I brought up none of that."
Stephen A. Smith Apologises Over Misinformed Statement
As he was made to know that LeBron was in attendance at Kobe Bryant's memorial service, Smith had to eat his words and apologise.
"My apologies and clarification. I misspoke in Hour#1 of @FirstTake today when I intimated that LeBron did not attend Kobe Bryant’s memorial. I corrected myself in Hour#2 when I acknowledged he was indeed in attendance," he wrote on X.
"My mistake. Should not have even broached that subject. It was not my main point. I retract NOTHING else that I said. Have a nice day!"
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