Stephen A Smith blasts LeBron James for 'weak' approach over Bronny James confrontation

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ESPN star Stephen A. Smith spoke at length about his viral courtside interaction with LeBron James last week, and initially appeared empathetic about his gripe; however, the popular sports analyst expanded on his thoughts this week, calling the Lakers superstar’s approach about the issue "weak." 

The heated confrontation took place during the third quarter of the Lakers’ overtime win over the New York Knicks on Thursday. It seemingly centered on James’ issue with Smith’s commentary on Bronny James. 

Stephen A. Smith on the ESPN NBA Countdown live set at Intuit Dome on Oct. 23, 2024. (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)

The following day, during an appearance on "First Take," Smith called the interaction "unexpected" but said he did not harbor any ill-will towards James because he understood the position he was in. 

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"That wasn’t a basketball player confronting me, that was a parent, that was a father. I can’t sit here and be angry or feel slighted by LeBron James in that regard. By all accounts, he’s obviously a wonderful family man and father who cares very, very deeply about his son, and based on some of the comments he had heard — or shall I say I think he thought he heard — clearly took exception to some of the things he heard me say, and he confronted me about it." 

However, another viral video of James discussing the confrontation with former teammate and current ESPN broadcaster Richard Jefferson on Saturday has reignited the issue. 

"I thought it was weak, I thought it was some bulls---. But in the moment, I knew that I was listening to a father," Smith said Tuesday during an