{"id":2412086,"date":"2025-03-10T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-10T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lebron-james-gets-in-the-face-of-espns-stephen-a-smith-in-heated-courtside-confrontation\/"},"modified":"2025-03-10T15:02:29","modified_gmt":"2025-03-10T19:02:29","slug":"lebron-james-gets-in-the-face-of-espns-stephen-a-smith-in-heated-courtside-confrontation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lebron-james-gets-in-the-face-of-espns-stephen-a-smith-in-heated-courtside-confrontation\/","title":{"rendered":"LeBron James Gets in the Face of ESPN&#8217;s Stephen A. Smith in Heated Courtside Confrontation"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flebron-james-gets-in-the-face-of-espns-stephen-a-smith-in-heated-courtside-confrontation%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2412086&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>LeBron \u2064James and the \u200bLos Angeles \u2062Lakers have \u200c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tucker-carlson-calls-out-large-bump-on-john-fettermans-neck-keep-your-eyes-on-this-lump\/\" title=\"Tucker Carlson Calls Out Large Bump On John Fetterman\u2019s Neck: \u2018Keep Your Eyes On This Lump\u2019\">recently gained attention<\/a> following a surprising trade for \u2064superstar Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks. This new partnership has\u200d positioned the Lakers \u200cas a serious contender\u2062 for a high playoff seed, especially as Doncic adjusts \u2063to playing in Southern California. However, despite the team&#8217;s success, James \u200dhas been exhibiting a surly demeanor,\u200c particularly highlighted by a\u2062 tense encounter with \u200dESPN \u200dcommentator\u200c Stephen A. Smith after a recent game against the New York Knicks. <\/p>\n<p>Smith suggested that James was upset \u2062over how Smith discusses \u200dhis son, Bronny James, amid criticisms of nepotism regarding Bronny&#8217;s draft position and performance. While \u200dSmith acknowledged LeBron&#8217;s protective instincts as a\u2063 father, he clarified that his comments were directed at \u2063LeBron himself rather than Bronny. \u200cthe ongoing drama\u2064 has \u2064sparked interest, especially with\u2063 the Lakers set\u200d to\u200b face \u200dthe brooklyn Nets \u2064next, albeit without James due to an injury.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers have become media darlings again after the shocking, blockbuster trade for former-Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic.<\/p>\n<p>The pairing of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/larry-bird-2-0-nba-superstar-accomplishes-feat-mj-wilt-magic-lebron-kobe-never\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Doncic<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/lebron-savaged-selfishly-skipping-game-last-second-struggling-nba-silent\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">James<\/a> has the surging Lakers competing for the two-seed in a stacked Western Conference (the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder are a dozen games ahead of them, to give you an idea why the Lakers aren&rsquo;t competing for the&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/promise-broken-biden-gives-staffer-one-week-suspension-for-abusing-reporter\/\" title=\"Promise Broken: Biden Gives Staffer One-Week Suspension for Abusing Reporter\">top&#038;nbsp<\/a>;<\/em>seed).<\/p>\n<p>The Lakers, thanks to that lopsided trade, are a title contender that&rsquo;s only going to get better as Doncic gets better acclimated to Southern California &mdash; certainly a stark contrast from the Dallas-Fort Worth area.<\/p>\n<p>So &hellip; then why is James so surly?<\/p>\n<p>Prior to Saturday&rsquo;s loss to the Boston Celtics (which snapped an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tributes-pour-in-for-basketball-legend-bill-walton-one-of-the-greatest-basketball-players-of-all-time\/\" title=\"Honoring Bill Walton, Basketball Icon: &#039;One of the All-Time Greats\">8-game winning streak<\/a> for Los Angeles), James was spotted in a viral scene where he appeared to confront ESPN&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-espns-stephen-smith-corrects-joy-behar-reality-check-trumps-mandate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">outspoken talking head<\/a>, Stephen A. Smith.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>After the Lakers beat Smith&rsquo;s beloved New York Knicks Thursday night, the victorious James swiftly approached Smith, who was court side, and appeared to exchange anything but pleasantries.<\/p>\n<p>You can see the viral incident for yourself below:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Wonder what LeBron was saying to Stephen A smith here <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/EN50Cth0Mr\">pic.twitter.com\/EN50Cth0Mr<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; FlightMike (Mikerophone) (@TheFlightMike) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheFlightMike\/status\/1897907769958973478?\">March 7, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Smith addressed the incident on Friday&rsquo;s edition of one of his flagship programs, &ldquo;First Take&rdquo;:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/stephenasmith?\">@stephenasmith<\/a> describes his moment with LeBron James last night at Lakers-Knicks. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ZZyUnOOwYZ\">pic.twitter.com\/ZZyUnOOwYZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; First Take (@FirstTake) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FirstTake\/status\/1898031066243281393?\">March 7, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>According to Smith, James took particular umbrage with the way that Smith &mdash; and ostensibly the network he&rsquo;s the face of &mdash; discusses his son, Bronny.<\/p>\n<p>Now, while most agree that children of public figures should generally be off-limits, Bronny&rsquo;s is a special case, and not just because he&rsquo;s a public figure himself as an NBA player.<\/p>\n<p>Namely, accusations of &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/nepotism-run-amok-bronny-james-getting-crushed-social-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">nepotism<\/a>&rdquo; have hounded Bronny because many believe that his <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">current skill level didn&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t warrant his already humble draft position. (He was drafted 55th out of 58 picks.)<\/p>\n<p>Those allegations didn&rsquo;t grow any quieter when Bronny was assigned to the Lakers G-League (minor league) squad to further develop.<\/p>\n<p>While Smith acknowledged LeBron James&rsquo; point of view, in terms of being a protective father, he still took issue overall.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;What I would have said [to James], if we were in a different environment, because I was not going to engage in a confrontation at that particular moment in that setting,&rdquo; Smith began. &ldquo;But if we had had that conversation, I would&rsquo;ve said to LeBron James, &lsquo;I never would speak negatively about your son. I was talking about <em>you<\/em>.&rsquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Meaning&nbsp;<em>you<\/em>, LeBron James.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I have nothing but the best wishes for Bronny James. I wish him nothing but the best. I hope that he flourishes into an NBA star.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Smith pointed out that he took issue with &ldquo;the position that he was put in by his dad,&rdquo; and not Bronny himself.<\/p>\n<p>James, obviously, doesn&rsquo;t feel the same way, which led to the viral, frosty exchange.<\/p>\n<p>The Lakers next play Monday, when they face the Brooklyn Nets. They will be without James, who is nursing a day-to-day adductor injury.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers have regained media attention following a surprising trade for former Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic. This new duo has propelled the Lakers into contention for the second seed in a competitive Western Conference, although they trail the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder by twelve games. The Lakers are now seen as serious title contenders, especially as Doncic adjusts to life in Southern California, which is quite different from his previous home in Dallas-Fort Worth.<\/p>\n<p>However, James has been displaying a grumpy demeanor lately. Before their recent loss to the Boston Celtics\u2014ending an eight-game winning streak\u2014he was involved in a viral moment where he seemed to confront ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith after the Lakers defeated Smith&#8217;s favorite team, the New York Knicks.<\/p>\n<p>Smith later discussed this encounter on his show &#8220;First Take,&#8221; explaining that James was upset about how Smith talks about his son Bronny. While many believe public figures&#8217; children should be off-limits for criticism, Bronny&#8217;s situation is unique due to allegations of nepotism regarding his draft position (55th out of 58 picks) and subsequent assignment to the Lakers&#8217; G-League team for development.<\/p>\n<p>While acknowledging LeBron&#8217;s protective instincts as a father, Smith clarified that he never intended to speak negatively about Bronny but rather aimed his comments at LeBron himself. He expressed good wishes for Bronny\u2019s future success in basketball but criticized LeBron\u2019s reaction during their exchange. The Lakers are set to play again on Monday against the Brooklyn Nets without James due to an adductor injury he&#8217;s managing day-to-day<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2412087,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Lebron-James.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[14096,32997,7873,34619,32150],"class_list":["post-2412086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-confrontation","tag-lebron-james","tag-nba","tag-sports-news","tag-stephen-a-smith"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Lebron-James.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2412086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2412086"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2412086\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2412090,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2412086\/revisions\/2412090"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2412087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2412086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2412086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2412086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}