On Wednesday’s fiery episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, the ESPN personality doubled down on his stance regarding his now-infamous courtside confrontation with LeBron James and unpacked his side of the drama that has dominated headlines since that March 6 Lakers-Knicks matchup at Crypto.com Arena.
In the nearly hour-long monologue, Smith took aim at the Lakers superstar for what he described as a calculated, public confrontation.
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“When he approached me sitting courtside at that game against the New York Knicks, when he rolled up on me I didn’t know he was gonna roll up on me,” Smith said. “I had no idea, but when he said what he had to say I was in no position to give any kind of retort without making a scene.”
The confrontation happened during the third quarter, just after a timeout-on national TV, with cameras rolling. That’s no small detail for Smith, who claimed LeBron knew exactly what he was doing.
“Everybody and their mother knew I was going to be there,” Smith said. “He knew I was coming and picked the third quarter in the middle of the game to say what he has to say to make sure the camera is rolling.”
Stephen A. says he wasn’t scared
One of the most attention-grabbing parts of Smith‘s podcast rant was his declaration that if things had gotten physical, he would’ve responded immediately.
“Let me assure you, it wouldn’t have gone down like that,” he said, referencing the infamous Will Smith-Chris Rock Oscars slap.
“I would have gotten my ass kicked because if that man put his hands on me I would’ve immediately swung on him. Immediately. That I’m not going to tolerate.”
Smith insisted that while the moment may have appeared tense, he wasn’t scared. Instead, he says he chose not to escalate the situation to avoid making a scene in the middle of a nationally televised game.
“There was no fear,” Smith emphasized. “It was about choosing the right moment. That wasn’t it.”
The feud between LeBron and Smith appears to have stemmed from comments made by Smith earlier this season, which the four-time NBA champion took personally-though Smith contends his critique wasn’t directed at Bronny James, LeBron’s son and current Lakers rookie, but at LeBron himself.
