Perhaps the most symbolic moment of the ongoing feud between LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith came in the form of a social media post from the latter on Thursday.
“My apologies and clarification. I misspoke in Hour#1 of First Take today when I intimated that LeBron did not attend Kobe Bryant’s memorial,” Smith wrote on X. “I corrected myself in Hour#2 when I acknowledged he was indeed in attendance. 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!”
Yes, you read that correctly.
One day after James broke his public silence regarding Smith during an hour-long interview on The Pat McAfee Show, Smith opened First Take with an uninterrupted 15-minute monologue addressing the 4-time MVP. In doing so, the ESPN star alluded to James’ absence from Bryant’s memorial service (and Dwyane Wade’s Hall of Fame induction), stating that he wouldn’t share why he wasn’t there but clearly implying that it would be embarrassing if he did.
In Smith’s meager (like, the most meager) defense, there was definitely some strangeness around James’ attendance at Bryant’s 2020 memorial service. But the fact that ESPN’s $100 million man even felt compelled to reference the event speaks to the lows this ongoing feud has already reached, with no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
James isn’t blameless, either.
After all, this entire ordeal ostensibly began with Smith’s commentary regarding Bronny James’ playing time with the Los Angeles Lakers — valid criticism in the larger context of the team’s 2024-25 season. And anybody who heard Smith’s original take on the matter could have told you it was directed at LeBron and not Bronny, a distinction the older James doesn’t seem willing to accept.
During his interview with McAfee, the 40-year-old James insisted he’s OK with his oldest son being discussed as an NBA player but that Smith’s comments crossed the line. He failed, however, to explain how, resorting instead to grade school insults like, “He’s gonna be smiling from ear to ear when he hears me talking about him again. Oh my God, 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.”
Ultimately, this whole thing started with James taking exception to valid criticism and escalated when he confronted Smith courtside in the middle of a game. To this point, the 4-time NBA champion has yet to provide a logical explanation for any of this, seemingly content to sling mud with Smith instead.
While we’re on the subject of schoolyard behavior, however, let’s remember that two wrongs don’t make a right.
To that end, Smith has done nothing but fan the flames of this feud, publicly addressing their on-court confrontation no fewer than three times after initially insisting that he didn’t even want to address it once (yeah, right). A similar pattern has played out in the wake of the McAfee interview, with the former Philadelphia Inquirer columnist addressing James’ comments at length on Wednesday’s edition of The Stephen A. Smith Show before spending the first quarter-hour of Thursday’s First Take doing the same.
Although Smith’s approach to such matters often appears measured, that’s hardly been the case here. Rather, the 57-year-old has come off as closer to crashing out than calculated, perhaps best evidenced by his claim on The Stephen A. Smith Show that he would have “swung” on James immediately had the 21-time All-Star put his hands on him during their on-court confrontation.
While it was admittedly entertaining at times, Smith’s 15-minute rant on First Take largely gave the appearance of a man searching for any shot he could take to make all of this as personal as possible. References to the controversy surrounding Bronny’s McDonald’s All-American selection, repeatedly insisting that Michael Jordan is the actual GOAT, claiming James has “no friends” in the media outside of his close circle, and the bizarre barb regarding Bryant’s memorial service; it was all there. And none of it painted either James or Smith in a particularly flattering light.
As a website that covers sports media, the idea of the industry’s biggest star feuding with the most famous athlete of our generation should be our Super Bowl. But while I can’t speak for all of my co-workers, I think I can speak for most of them when I say we’re sick of this story. And based on reader feedback, I also know we’re not alone.
It’s not interesting, it’s not funny, and it’s not entertaining. Sure, there have been moments throughout that could qualify for each element. But by and large, these are two grown men trading childish insults, all the while lending legitimacy to the criticism they’ve each faced during their otherwise remarkable careers. In pro wrestling parlance, this has been heel vs. heel, leaving the audience without a rooting interest and repeatedly wondering, “Who is any of this exactly for?”
We’ll keep covering the story because that’s our job. From a big-picture perspective, this will now be part of both parties’ legacies (Smith’s more than James’). But quite frankly (pun intended), we’d also be perfectly fine if this all wrapped up soon, especially if it continues to reach its new lows on Thursday afternoon.