Stephen A. Smith apologizes for incorrectly accusing LeBron James of missing Kobe Bryant’s memorial service

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While taking some jabs at Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James on Thursday, sports media personality Stephen A. Smith accused the forward of not attending Lakers legend Kobe Bryant’s memorial service.

But as it turns out, that was a false claim, and James was in attendance. After making the claim, Smith apologized.

“My apologies and clarification,” Smith wrote via X. “I misspoke in Hour#1 of @FirstTake today when I intimated that LeBron did not attend Kobe Bryant’s memorial. I corrected myself in Hour#2 when I acknowledged he was indeed in attendance. My mistake. Should not have even broached that subject. It was not my main point. I retract NOTHING else that I said. Have a nice day!”

Some people have claimed that James requested to not be filmed at the memorial — which took place in February of 2020 — but a video of former Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi seemingly gesturing toward James while speaking at the service started to make the rounds online after Smith made the original claim.

The drama between James and Smith became a big story earlier this month when the two of them had a heated exchange during a game between the Lakers and New York Knicks. Now, it appears that the two of them are growing particularly tired of each other, an interesting detail in a season that has been full of storylines for the Lakers.

The 57-year-old Smith isn’t the only ESPN talking head who’s made waves with comments about James of late. Fellow ESPN personality Kendrick Perkins formerly played with James on the Cleveland Cavaliers, and on Thursday, he claimed that after James unfollowed him on X last year, he responded by blocking the veteran’s phone number.

It should be interesting to see how the beef between James and Smith evolves or dies down in the coming days and weeks, but James likely has bigger things on his mind at the moment.

He’s trying to secure a top seed for Los Angeles in the 2025 NBA Playoffs. With 10 games remaining on their regular-season schedule, the Lakers currently sit as the No. 4 seed in the West at 44-28. They are just 2.5 games behind the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets, who have won all but one of their last 10 contests.