Stephen A. Smith wasted little time responding to LeBron James’ remarks on The Pat McAfee Show. After addressing the situation in-depth on Wednesday’s episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, Thursday’s episode of First Take opened with a clip of James’ comments. Smith then launched into a 15-minute tirade against James, covering various topics related to their ongoing feud.
As expected, Smith did not hold back, even in the moments he claimed he would. Here are the seven most outrageous moments from ESPN’s $100 million man’s quarter-hour rebuttal.
1. Smith doubles down on calling James a liar
Smith asserted repeatedly that James has been lying throughout this entire episode. Although the core issue has ostensibly been Smith’s coverage of Bronny James, the four-time NBA champion claimed he’s fine with his son being covered like any other NBA player. However, Smith countered that this has clearly not been the case. He clarified that his issue lies with LeBron’s handling of the situation, a distinction he feels James is intentionally overlooking.
“He continues to lie to the world about what I said and who I was pointing the finger at,” Smith stated. “When I talked about Bronny James early in the season, I highlighted the fact that he simply was not ready; I was calling out LeBron James. LeBron never addresses that with anybody, and for some reason, no one ever asks him about that.”
2. Addressing Smith was James’ primary objective
James’ comments about Smith comprised only a small fraction of his hour-long appearance with the former All-Pro punter. According to Smith, the real purpose of James being on the show wasn’t to promote the reboot of his Mind the Game podcast, but rather to get back at him.
“LeBron James, who really has no friends in the media outside of his crew, decided to show up in Indianapolis and do a show that airs right after First Take,” Smith remarked. “Clearly, they aimed to disguise his real agenda of addressing me with the promotion of Mind Your Game featuring Steve Nash.” Smith argued that James could have appeared remotely anytime in the past three weeks but chose this opportunity specifically as a shot at him.
3. James’ appearance was negotiated
Knowing that Pat McAfee often pays guests—as seen with Aaron Rodgers’ weekly appearances—Smith is convinced that some negotiation took place for James’ appearance. “This was planned. Rich Paul was on Pat McAfee’s show about 10 days earlier. For those who don’t know, Rich Paul is the founder of Klutch Sports and a strategic thinker. He didn’t go there by accident. Following talks with McAfee, it led to LeBron being on the show.” Smith noted that for a while now, James has been about control in his dealings with the media.
Regardless of whether McAfee negotiated with or compensated James, Smith’s acknowledgment of how his colleague secured the interview was quite revealing.
4. Smith insists his boxing skills have improved
Another bizarre claim from Smith was his assertion that he would have “swung” at James if the Lakers star had confronted him physically during their recent encounter. James playfully mocked Smith by sharing an old boxing video, to which Smith responded, insisting, “It’s an embarrassing video, but I’m not the same man physically today as I was back then. I can tell you that.”
We’ll take his word for it.
5. Smith thinks this is all actually about Michael Jordan
While Smith’s coverage of Bronny James is often cited as the main reason for the feud, he believes it goes deeper. Throughout his response, Smith suggested that James’ issue with him is due to his unwavering stance that Michael Jordan is the GOAT.
“I have done everything but put diapers and a bib on this brother,” Smith expressed, listing off praise he has given James in the past. “But it’s never enough because one thing matters to him: being recognized as the greatest of all time. Well, you’re not in my book. That title belongs to Michael Jordan.” He followed up with elaborations, including stats and reasons supporting his belief that Jordan retains the GOAT status.
6. Smith alludes to Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade
During his tirade, Smith claimed he wouldn’t get personal, yet he referenced James’ absence at Kobe Bryant’s memorial service and Dwyane Wade’s Hall of Fame induction. “I suggest he be happy with what I haven’t brought up. I never discussed why he wasn’t at Kobe’s memorial or why he missed Dwyane’s induction when that man helped him win his first championship.”
Stephen A. Smith on LeBron James: “I suggest that he be happy with the things that I haven’t brought up. I never really discussed why you were not at Kobe Bryant’s memorial service. I never brought up why you did not attend Dwyane… pic.twitter.com/Wji02Zidej
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 27, 2025
Smith later clarified that although James attended Bryant’s service, he was not shown for specific reasons, which Smith implied James should address himself.
7. Smith makes it clear he’s not going anywhere
At the conclusion of his lengthy response, Smith reiterated his intent to remain a fixture in the media. He highlighted that his confrontation with James coincided with the announcement of his new five-year, $100 million contract with ESPN. “The day he confronted me was the day my new contract was announced. So he knows like everyone else that I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. I’ve been here since before he arrived in 2003, and I’ll likely still be here long after he’s gone. He’s got to deal with that, plain and simple. It isn’t a crime for Michael Jordan to be the GOAT, but that seems to be a crime to him.”
As The Joker told Batman in The Dark Knight (2008), “I think you and I are destined to do this forever.” Here’s hoping that’s not the case here.
