Stephen A. Smith Claims He’d Fight LeBron, Lakers Star Hits Back with Ugly SAS Boxing Clip
Stephen A. Smith’s beef with LeBron James has hit peak absurdity: the face of "First Take" now says he’d sock the 6’8" Lakers giant if LeBron ever dared touch him.
The saga continues as Smith and James keep trading jabs in the national eye, and even if it’s just 15 seconds in the public spotlight, Stephen A. will chew up every moment of it.
It all kicked off in early March when LeBron confronted Smith at a Lakers home game for not kissing the ring after Smith criticized Bronny James, LeBron’s son, by calling him an undercooked player in desperate need of more time in the G League.
BOSTON, MA - MARCH 8: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the game against the Boston Celtics on March 8, 2025 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Stephen A. Smith wants to throw dukes against LeBron James. Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)
LeBron got in Smith’s grill at Crypto.com Arena over it, and three weeks later, they’re both still talking about it.
On Wednesday, LeBron joined "The Pat McAfee Show" in an uncanny television appearance for the Lakers star, saying, "He’s like on a Taylor Swift tour run right now."
LBJ went after ESPN’s talent, referring to longtime James specialist Brian Windhorst as some kind of weirdo and tearing into Smith — on his own network.
James added, "It started off with, ‘I didn’t want to address it; I wasn’t going to address it, but since the video came out, I feel the need to address it.’ Motherf***er, are you kidding me? If it’s one person that couldn’t wait until the video had dropped so you could address it, it’s your a--." Neither figure helped their case that day.
Hours after James appeared on McAfee, Stephen A. Smith hit back on his YouTube show, saying he would have absolutely socked James during that face-to-face at Crypto.
Stephen A. was feeling brave.
"My issue is with LeBron James," Stephen A. began.
"And I just want to say, for the record, LeBron James is full of it. And in this particular instance, as it pertains to his son, he is a liar. And he went on national television today, and he lied again."
He added, "But when he said what he had to say, I was in no position to give any kind of retort without making a scene."
Then came the punchline: "I would have gotten my a** kicked because had that man put his hands on me, I would have immediately swung on him. Immediately. That, I’m not gonna tolerate."
LeBron has found supporters who agree Stephen A. is hyping up the beef.
Meanwhile, Smith is getting backing for telling the truth about Bronny James, who’s yet to latch onto the NBA’s regular level of competition.
"The real point at hand is this: LeBron James continues to lie," Smith emphasized.
READ: Stephen A. Smith Goes on Podcast, Rips LeBron James Over Angry ‘Bronny’ Spat
"He hoodwinked y’all into thinking that he was upset about criticism about his son."
Fisticuffs might be the only way to settle this, as neither side is caving. Until then, we're all tuning into this messy battle for clout — fought on the airwaves … and on social media.
In the last week, sports fans have gotten two stunning, one-sided potential face-offs.
First, Glenn Jacobs, formerly known as WWE’s Kane, challenging Minnesota governor Tim Walz, and now Smith, the 57-year-old ESPN reporter, threatening to box the freakishly big LeBron James.
Well, in the early hours on the East Coast on Thursday, LeBron posted a devastating Instagram video of Stephen A. Smith flailing sloppily in a boxing session.
Arms wild.
Footwork all a mess.
With Stephen A. looking more like a windmill than a fighter.
And James captioned the video, "WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP."
Smith’s either playing with fire or throwing kerosene on a beef that may or may not be real, but it certainly keeps him in the national spotlight. Get a room, guys.
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