For anyone who has followed the bizarre feud between LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith and wondered how two grown men can act that way, Dan Le Batard shares your bewilderment. Not that he doesn’t like what he’s seeing. “You can’t resist it,” Le Batard said on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz Thursday. He discussed the ongoing SAS-LBJ feud, calling out both men for their “childishness” and comparing their behavior to that of “7-year-olds.” (If that sounds a bit redundant, don’t worry, Le Batard’s analysis worked.)
The James-Smith feud escalated Wednesday after James appeared on The Pat McAfee Show. He called out Smith for comments about Bronny James that sparked the feud. Smith’s original remarks led to a viral confrontation during a Lakers game earlier this month. This incident was followed by online exchanges and Smith addressing the issue repeatedly in the media.
Le Batard noted that both men have acted immaturely. “But the childishness in it beyond, ‘I would have swung at him and he would have kicked my a**,’ and all the nonsense that men do when they’re being silly around the soap opera,” Le Batard stated. “The idea that LeBron is upset and that Stephen A. thinks he’s upset, continuing with, ‘You’re not my G.O.A.T. You’re not the best; you’re the second best—Shannon Sharpe thinks you’re the best,’ is like how 7-year-olds would handle it. This is passing for content I cannot resist. You can’t resist it.”
Le Batard pointed out that such situations have become almost inevitable in sports today and contribute to driving TV ratings. “It’s interesting to me,” he explained, “because we have seen sports reporting and sports entertainment morphing with big stars merging, creating a phenomenon where whatever the entity is—in this case, ESPN, Stephen A. Smith, and LeBron James—I cannot resist the sirens’ call. This is excellent content for the machine.” Amin Elhassan, co-hosting Thursday’s show, had a different take and expressed his shame regarding the feud.
“I was ashamed yesterday. All of it, both of them, everybody,” Elhassan said. “And seeing the reactions… This is quite possibly the biggest journalist who covers the sport and the biggest name player. If I’m Adam Silver, I’d get them on the phone and say, ‘Enough. Enough.’ This is embarrassing. This does not represent our sport.”
