Stephen A. Smith says ‘something happened’ following LeBron James drama that made it all add up

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

One of the biggest stories in the NBA lately involves Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and sports media personality Stephen A. Smith.

Several days back, James confronted Smith at a Lakers game and allegedly didn’t have very pleasant words for Smith.

The ESPN star said the day after the altercation that he thought James confronted him because he was unhappy with comments Smith made regarding his son Bronny.

However, a leaked video of the elder James seemingly speaking about the situation with his former teammate Richard Jefferson has led Smith to come to a new conclusion.

According to Smith, the leaked video suggests that the elder James took exception to what Smith said about him as a father.

“I’ve never, ever, ever been about being critical of Bronny,” Smith said. “I’ve gone out of my way, being who I am in the position that I am in, to avoid even critiquing him for years out of respect for the James family. Rich Paul knows that, Maverick Carter knows that. Opposing agents and players, former and present, who had asked me why I wouldn’t do it, know my position. It was on the record. There are clips of it on ‘First Take.’ That was my position. So when he said to me, ‘Stop s——- on my son,’ I am like what? What are you talking about?

“But then something happened. Something happened and a light bulb hit my ear. And that was him with Richard Jefferson. When he sat up there and said, ‘When I was talking as a dad, I can’t, I can’t…’ So it wasn’t about Bronny. … It was about him. Those are his words. Once he said as a father, that was about him. Which was my point January 29th. It’s been about you. I don’t want to have a critical word about Bronny James at this stage of his career. It was never about Bronny. I wouldn’t do that to a kid. It was about his dad. And it wasn’t about his dad wanting him in the NBA. It’s about the things he said. And the things he maneuvered and manipulated in order to get his son to wear the same uniform as him.”

On Jan. 29, Smith ruffled some feathers by asking the elder James “as a father” to “stop this” after the younger James struggled in meaningful minutes against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The elder James and younger James are the first father-son duo in the history of the league to share the court together. The younger James was drafted by the storied Lakers franchise with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft but has yet to prove that he can be a difference-maker at the highest level.

His production through 18 games played with the Lakers in the 2024-25 regular season has left a lot to be desired. He’s averaging 1.4 points per game while shooting 25.8 percent from the field and 20.0 percent from 3-point range.

But in the younger James’ defense, he hasn’t gotten many opportunities to show off his skill set at the NBA level. He’s averaging just 4.2 minutes of playing time per contest, and before he saw the court against the New Orleans Pelicans on March 4, he hadn’t played for the Lakers since Feb. 12.

Though the younger James has underperformed at the NBA level to this point, he’s fared much better with the Lakers’ G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers. Across 16 total games played with South Bay, he’s averaging 17.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He has gotten better as the season has gone along in the G League.