The feud between LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith escalated from amusing to absurd on Wednesday. During an hour-long interview with Pat McAfee on ESPN, James finally addressed his ongoing disputes with the First Take star, targeting Smith for his lengthy comments about their recent on-court confrontation.
“It started off with, ‘I didn’t wanna address it. I wasn’t going to address it, but since the video came out, I feel the need to address it,’” James quipped, mimicking Smith’s initial remarks. “Are you kidding me? If there’s one person who couldn’t wait for the video to drop so you could address it, it’s you. Seriously?”
Unsurprisingly, Smith quickly responded on Wednesday’s episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show. In a lengthy rant, he labeled James a “liar” and remarked that if the Lakers star had put his hands on him during their confrontation, he “would have immediately swung on him.” This claim raises questions about how this entire situation shifted from a war of words about Smith’s criticism of Bronny James to hypothetical threats of violence so many weeks later.
Regardless of how it unfolded, James responded on Instagram after he hit a game-winning shot against the Indiana Pacers, sharing an old video showcasing Smith’s questionable boxing skills.
“WHOMP WHOMP WHOMPPPPPPPP,” James commented alongside a series of crying laughing emojis. Normally, this might close the matter, though it’s clear this is far from over. We can expect Smith’s response on Thursday’s episode of First Take in a feud that increasingly grows more bizarre by the day.
