"There's lot of s**t that I know"- Stephen A. Smith delivers no-nonsense take on severing ties with LeBron James after infamous courtside incident

Stephen A. Smith delivers no-nonsense take on severing ties with LeBron James after infamous courtside incident
Stephen A. Smith delivers no-nonsense take on severing ties with LeBron James after infamous courtside incident - Images via IMAGN

ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith has revived his war of words with LeBron James, giving a no-nonsense take on the Lakers star on a Friday episode of The Gil’s Arena Show.

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Smith asserted that he and LeBron James have no relationship. He said that "King" James doesn't like him, a feeling that's mutual. The "last straw" was when LeBron brought up the "Bronny thing" on Pat McAfee's show.

“And all I would say is people don't know the things that have happened behind the scenes, things that have been said, who they've been said to, the kind of things that have been engaged in in an effort to hurt me. … there's a lot of s*** that I know that I don't say.
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“And there's a reason that I feel the way that I do. And the last straw was him approaching me and turning the Bronny thing into something about me attacking somebody's family when it was him I was talking about, not Bronny.”

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The conflict between James and SAS erupted on Jan. 28 when Smith publicly questioned whether LeBron James was putting his son, Bronny, in the NBA prematurely. The remarks prompted LeBron to confront Smith courtside during a Lakers game a few weeks later.

James responded on The Pat McAfee Show and called Smith’s behavior a “Taylor Swift tour” and accused him of turning a concern into personal attacks.

Smith fired back on First Take. He accused LeBron of lying and defending his original stance, claiming that his criticism was aimed at LeBron’s choices, not Bronny. LeBron retaliated by posting a mocking video of Smith sparring on Instagram.

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Stephen A. Smith urges LeBron James to return to Cleveland

Stephen A. Smith, on ESPN’s First Take, argued that LeBron James would have a better chance of winning a championship in Cleveland than Los Angeles:

“Why don’t you just come back to Cleveland and end your career? You come back to Cleveland. You bring the chip back to Cleveland, and you say goodbye as a five-time champion…”
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The Western Conference remains highly competitive, which has made a title run more arduous for the Lakers, while the Cavaliers present a more attainable path.

Smith framed this recommendation as a way for LeBron to cap off his career with a poignant homecoming and symbolic farewell. With speculation mounting around James’ long-term fit with the Lakers and, a noticeable absence from key team events, including those involving Luka Doncic has caught attention.

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Edited by Bhargav
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