LeBron James has been calling the shots in L.A for the longest as far as memory goes. Remember the Westbrook trade? It was a move that the Purple & Gold approved only because James wanted it to be done. However, now the times are changing, and there’s a new superstar in Southern California, Luka Doncic. Now, the Purple & Gold are catering to his needs, and James has taken a back seat. So, should this make James feel betrayed? Apparently yes. At least that’s what LeBron skips suggested. But popular journalist and the 40-year-old’s kryptonite, Stephen A. Smith, has a suggestion for the King. And this time it is cautiously crafted to avoid a repeat of the Bronny saga.
During his recent appearance on the former NBA star Gilbert Arenas’ podcast, Smith gave his thoughts about whether LeBron James should feel disrespected by the way the Lakers have been treating him throughout the summer. “No, I don’t think so. They got a new they got new blood. A cat that’s going to be the face of their franchise for the next decade, where he’s contemplating walking away from the game in the next year or two…That’s business,” He said. It is Luka’s Lakers now, and instead of taking things to heart, all that the King can do is hand over his kingdom, graciously. But above all, “it’s pretty hard to be insulting when you’re being paid 52 million for one year’s work.”
To keep things straight, 52 million for a year sounds great, but when you know you have a LeBron who still draws crowds in his 40s, the sum could have gone up. “He deserves more. He deserves more. If it was allowed, if he could get more, with the CBA and all of that stuff, he should get more, cuz he means to the NBA from a box office perspective is undeniable. So, I’m not throwing any shade in that regard.” Pretty unusual for James fans to see it coming from Stephen A., but there’s more in store.
While Stephen A. Smith stated that there’s no reason for James to feel betrayed by the Lakers, he had a solid piece of advice for the veteran, just in case that being the second option doesn’t fit right with the King. “It’s hard to have a problem with that. It’s like there’s a new star in town. That doesn’t mean that your star has to descend. You go out on the court and you can show you still that dude. But this brother is that special, and that can’t be ignored.” Smith suggested that James embrace the fact that there’s a new sheriff in town.
Feb 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and guard Luka Doncic (77) during the second quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
Even though we all know that James and Smith don’t see eye to eye, keeping that aside for the minute, this is pretty great advice from the ESPN analyst. There’s no doubt that LeBron James only has two options heading into the next season: he could either come to terms with the fact that Luka Doncic is not only the future but also the present, or he could go out there and show that Los Angeles is still his city. Now, which option King James chooses will be interesting to see. However, this wasn’t everything Smith had to say about his nemesis, as he also put up some serious allegations against LeBron James.
Stephen A. Smith accuses LeBron James of hurting him during the Bronny James incident
We all know that Stephen A. Smith and Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James have a history of taking shots at each other. In fact, you could say that the pair have been involved in a beef for some years now. While we all know about several beefs between athletes and their critics, things got out of hand between Smith and James last season. That’s why when asked about his relationship with the future Hall of Famer, Smith made things clear once it for all.
“There’s no situation, there’s no relationship. He doesn’t like me, and I don’t like him,” Smith bluntly stated. The sports media personality suggested that things between him and LeBron were not good and beyond resolution. However, that did not stop him from appreciating the Lakers forward as a hooper. He called James “the second greatest player in the history of basketball.” But he quickly drew a line and stated that this was just what he thinks of the 40-year-old on the court.
Nov 15, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
Then, Stephen A. Smith revealed how, during their conflict last season, James tried to hurt him, but did not reveal all the details. “People don’t know the things that have happened behind the scenes, the kind of things that have been engaged in, in an effort to hurt me. There’s a lot of s— that I know that I don’t say.” He indicated that the verbal war between him and King James went way beyond talking subtle jabs at each other.
For those of you who are not aware, things took off when Smith, during a segment of his show, questioned LeBron’s parenting style, especially how he dealt with Bronny James, which did not sit right with the Lakers superstar. As expected, the two started off engaging in verbal battles, but things got out of hand when fans spotted James confronting Smith about his comments on Bronny James. That’s when, according to Smith, Bronny’s dad tried to hurt him. Now, to know what happened, we’ll have to wait for Smith to reveal the details.
The post Stephen A. Smith Sends Strong Message to LeBron James After Fighting Off Bronny James Controversy appeared first on EssentiallySports.