LeBron James was caught on a hot mic talking about his tense interaction with Stephen A. Smith.
Before the Lakers took a loss to the Boston Celtics on Saturday, March 8, James was filmed speaking with ESPN broadcaster Richard Jefferson on the sidelines. In the video, the Lakers star, 40, appeared to recount his heated conversation with Smith, 57, while talking to Jefferson.
James and Jefferson seemed to attempt to keep their conversation quiet at first by speaking into one another’s ears, with James responding to something Jefferson said with “I know,” before the father of three said, “Right, right, right.”
“That’s the only thing I’m tripping,” James said, continuing, “I don’t give a f—. Once he talks about, ‘I’m pleading to you as a father.’ I can’t.”
Tyler Ross/NBAE via Getty
The conversation comes just days after James’ heated run-in with Smith courtside on March 6 was caught on cameras. Fans speculated that James was confronting Smith about his criticism of Bronny James — who joined his father on the Lakers roster this season.
Smith confirmed that James was upset with him about his comments slamming Bronny, 20, and said he’s “not blaming” him “one bit” for defending his rookie son.
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“I really understood where he was coming from,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take after the incident went viral. “He was very, very upset. I could tell. But he could’ve called me. I’d have came to see him. I’d have had a conversation with him. He could’ve been just as upset face-to-face, man-to-man as opposed to being courtside at the game.”
Atiba Jefferson/NBAE via Getty
Smith said he had “no idea” the video had spread on social media “until I woke up this morning.”
“But it is what it is in the end,” Smith continued. “Like I said, as a father, I get it. I’m not offended. I’m not insulted. I don’t have any animosity or animus towards LeBron James for this, nothing like that.”
Smith has criticized Bronny’s performance in the NBA since he was drafted and said in recent weeks that he believes Bronny, averaging 1.4 points per game this season, is only in the NBA “because of his dad.”
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