After draining the game-winning bucket for the Los Angeles Lakers in a nail-biting 120-119 victory against the Indiana Pacers, LeBron James fired back at ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith with a savage social media post that reignited their public war of words.
The beef between the Lakers superstar and the polarizing First Take host has been simmering since their run-in earlier this season at Crypto.com Arena.
LeBron James posts video mocking Stephen A. Smith after threat of fight and punches
Things escalated when Smith went on his podcast and boldly claimed that had LeBron put his hands on him during their courtside confrontation, he “would’ve swung” – though he admitted it likely wouldn’t have ended well for him.
That didn’t stop LeBron from responding. Later that night, after the win, James posted a video on Instagram showing one of his past boxing workouts. Along with the clip, he added a caption that was impossible to miss: “[several laughing emojis] WHOMP WHOMP WHOMPPPPPPPP.”
The post immediately went viral, with fellow athletes such as Draymond Green, Kevin Love, Paul Pierce, and Tristan Thompson joining in with their own laughter and comments.
A war of words continues off the court
The feud between James and Smith started earlier this year after Smith’s comments regarding LeBron‘s eldest son, Bronny James, and his place in the NBA. Smith has repeatedly suggested that Bronny isn’t ready for the league and insinuated that LeBron‘s influence played a role in his son’s opportunity. On a January 29 episode of First Take, Smith pleaded with James: “I am pleading with LeBron James, as a father. Stop this. We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad.”
LeBron, known for fiercely protecting his family, took those remarks personally and confronted Smith at a Lakers-Knicks game in March.
Although the confrontation wasn’t caught in detail, both men have spoken about the moment since – with Smith continuing to argue that James is misrepresenting the nature of their interaction.
James, however, isn’t letting up. In his recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, LeBron responded by saying Smith “completely missed the whole point” and reiterated that his only concern was defending his family’s integrity.
Meanwhile, Smith responded on his podcast by suggesting the confrontation could have turned physical had James escalated it – a statement that many, including LeBron, found laughable. Hence, the reposted boxing video and the wave of sarcastic emojis.
