LeBron James blasts ESPN's Stephen A. Smith amid feud: 'Missed the whole point'

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LeBron James fired back at ESPN star Stephen A. Smith in an interview Wednesday with the sports pundit’s colleague, Pat McAfee, after a video of the Los Angeles Lakers star confronting Smith surfaced earlier this month.

James appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show" and addressed how the media covers the NBA. 

He said Smith was on a "Taylor Swift tour run right now" and appeared to mock how Smith addressed the viral clip when he said he didn’t want to initially address it.

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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, right, drives around Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) during the first half March 24, 2025, in Orlando, Fla.  (AP Photo/John Raoux)

"Motherf---er, are you kidding me? If there’s one person that couldn’t wait until the video to drop so you could address it is your a--. Like, seriously?"

Then, James got a bit more serious.

"And another (thing). He completely missed the whole point, the whole point. Never in my … never would I ever not allow people to talk about the sport, criticize players about what they do on the court. That is your job – to criticize or be in a position where, OK, a guy is not performing … that is all part of the game. When you take it and when you get personal with it, it’s my job to not only protect my damn household but protect the players.

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LeBron James (23) and Bronny James (9) of the Los Angeles Lakers on the court for the first time during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena