Stephen A. Smith has issued an apology after falsely claiming that Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James did not attend the 2020 memorial service for Kobe Bryant.
The claim, which aired on Thursday morning, sparked immediate backlash from NBA fans and resurfaced tensions between Smith and James.
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Reports from The Los Angeles Times confirm that James was indeed present at the event, despite not appearing in public footage of the service.
Many fans criticized Smith for bringing up Bryant’s passing as part of his ongoing feud with James, which has intensified in recent weeks.
In response to the controversy, Smith addressed his mistake and clarified his remarks.
“People were blowing up my phone since the first segment of the show when I talked about him at the memorial service, okay?”Smith stated.
“I didn’t mean to say he wasn’t in the building. I was told he was in the building, you understand? But we saw a whole bunch of players out there. We didn’t see him. Why? Hmm. I’ll let him answer that one day if he so chooses.”
The feud between Smith and James has escalated following a series of public exchanges.
Weeks ago, James confronted Smith courtside over comments regarding his son, Bronny, and their tension has only grown since.
Most recently, James made an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, where he seemingly took a dig at Smith, leading to further back-and-forth on social media.
Fans quickly called out Smith’s claim as misinformation, with some even urging platforms like X to flag his statement.
“I ask that we please stop giving the man attention now. Thanks,” one user wrote in response to the controversy.
Smith’s remarks were met with skepticism not only from James’ supporters but also from those who questioned the need to revisit such a sensitive topic.
James has yet to publicly respond to Smith’s latest comments.
While he has typically remained quiet about media narratives, his growing involvement in off-court discussions, particularly since Bronny’s emergence as an NBA prospect, has led to more direct engagement with critics.
