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LeBron James saw firsthand how Shannon Sharpe stood up for him during the Memphis Grizzlies versus LA Lakers game last Jan. 20. The three-time Super Bowl winner didn’t think twice about confronting several Grizzlies players and Tee Morant, Ja Morant’s father.
The near-scuffle started when Sharpe told Memphis forward Dillon Brooks that he was too small to guard “King James.” Brooks’ response was something the now Fox Sports analyst didn’t appreciate. It could have gotten ugly as Brooks, Steven Adams and the Morants wanted to go after Sharpe, who looked like he would relish any dustup.
Stephen Jackson, on the “I am Athlete” podcast, had this to say about the whole incident:
(2:24 mark)
“Shannon Sharpe, that’s my Unc, I love Shannon, I talk to him all the time. You just gonna remember Unc, Bron ain’t gonna run up and fight nobody for you. Keep that in mind. Bron, ain’t gonna run up and fight nobody for you!
“Bron can see Shannon in a restaurant and get into a scuffle. If he with his family, he ain’t gonna run up over there. That’s the last thing Bron would do. Keep that in mind, Uncle! Bron’s not gonna fight for you.
“I know you love him but it’s not gonna be reciprocated.”
Former NFL players Adam “Pacman” Jones and Brandon Marshall had trouble understanding and believing what Stephen Jackson had to say. LeBron James is as good a citizen as any in the NBA, but he has been involved in a few scuffles as well.
More importantly, it seems like the LA Lakers basketball star wouldn’t leave Shannon Sharpe hanging after he said this:
“I ride with Shannon 365 days — 366 on a leap year — 24/7. So that’s my guy. I always got his back. And he’s got mine. He can talk with the best of them, for sure.”
Declaring he had Sharpe’s back 365 days a year and 24/7 in front of every major sports media outlet carries a ton of weight. It’s something LeBron James will have to live up to if and when the time comes. He simply can’t talk the talk when it comes to offering that kind of support to someone.
LeBron James has been involved in a few heated scuffles in his 20-year NBA career
On Nov. 22, 2021, LeBron James nearly got into it with Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart. While jostling for a rebounding position as Pistons forward Jerami Grant took a free throw, James suddenly swung his elbow, which hit Stewart’s forehead.
Stewart and James had to be restrained by teammates and security as both teams tried to prevent things from escalating. “King James” was ejected from the game, just the second of his career, and suspended for the first time in his pro basketball life.
Another nose-to-nose confrontation between LeBron James and another NBA player happened in Game 4 of the 2016 NBA Finals. Ironically enough, James’ antagonist at that time was none other than Draymond Green, now one of his staunchest supporters.
LeBron James, who was with the Cleveland Cavaliers in that championship series, revealed that Green said some things that went overboard. The Warriors forward responded that the four-time NBA MVP just can’t step over him as it was a huge sign of disrespect.
Green's suspension in Game 5 helped turn the series for the Cavaliers. He would later admit that the now LA Lakers superstar "coaxed" him into the altercation.
