Here's That Juicy Feud Between LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith Explained

In the world of pro basketball, few people have as much fame and media coverage as LeBron James. A titan in the sports world, the L.A. Lakers forward is often referred to as the GOAT.

Yet sportscaster Stephen A. Smith has clearly gotten LeBron's goat, expanding their disagreement into an enduring feud.

Here's the history behind that feud and how it went from a disagreement over comments to an all-out social media battle.

L.A. Lakers forward LeBron is one of those stars that comes along once in a generation. With stats that rival some of the greatest players of all time, he has carved a name for himself in the history books.

But sports anchor Stephen, who is no stranger to feuds with players, has gotten caught up in some major beef with LeBron. And here's why.

In January 2025, Stephen had some thoughts about LeBron's son, Bronny, playing in the pros.

He said, "He said, "I'm really trying to be as respectful as I possibly can be. Towards LeBron James, one of the top two or three players in the history of basketball, No. 2 in my eyes."

Stephen continued, "I am pleading with LeBron James, as a father, stop this. Stop this. We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad." He added, "As you hone your skills and you get better and you legitimately earn — which I believe he has the potential to do, I am rooting for Bronny James — it would be cruel to root against him … But, he's LeBron James's son. And everybody knows what attention that brings" (via SportingNews).

A video later circulated, showing LeBron stepping up to Stephen courtside.

LeBron appeared to be saying something many have interpreted as, "Keep my son out of this s--t, bro."

On his show, First Take, Stephen later mused, "That wasn't a basketball player confronting me, that was a parent, that was a father. I can't sit here and be angry or feel slighted by LeBron James in any way in that regard." Adding, "he feels like I was slighting his son. When I said the things that I said, I wasn't talking about Bronny ... I was talking about the position that he was put in by his dad."

Two days after LeBron said something to Stephen at courtside, Stephen expanded on what happened, sharing, "What he was really talking about — which was confirmed with his conversation with Richard Jefferson — is that I was talking about him as a father. And so what happens is that had he said that to me, then I wouldn't have been thrown off. I would've came right back at him: 'Yes I was, I was talking about you. You did this s--t" (via SportingNews).

Stephen said he hadn't planned on addressing the controversy until a video of a tense call between them was circulated. But LeBron scoffed at that, finally addressing things on the Pat McAfee Show. LeBron said, "That is your job to criticize, or to be in a position where if a guy's not performing [you can criticize them], you know? That's all part of the game. But 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."

He added that Stephen would be happy to hear he's talking about him.

Stephen then countered again on YouTube, calling LeBron a "liar" and saying at one point, "Had I done something, what would I do? You want this to be a reincarnation of Chris Rock and Will Smith?" Stephen said, referring to the infamous Academy Award slap between Will and Chris.

"And let me state for the record that while we bring up that, let me assure you, it wouldn't have gone down like that. I would have gotten my ass kicked, because if that man put hands on me, I would have immediately swung on him," he added.

Unfortunately, a viral clip of Stephen's comments omitted the last part. This prompted LeBron to then take to social media to mock Stephen.

While it's not clear exactly what the two were disagreeing over after a while, it became clear by the end of March 2025 that the feud was far from over and seemed to be escalating.

What started as a comment from Stephen about Bronny's role in the NBA turned into a down and dirty slugfest between the two in sound bytes and video clips.