Stephen A. Smith joins Molly Qerim on First Take to address his interaction with LeBron James last night at the Lakers-Knicks game.
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FunTranscript
00:00Welcome into first take on this feel-good Friday.
00:01Thank you for being with us.
00:03Obviously Stephen a an incredible game last night in
00:06LA you were in the building and we'll get to what that means
00:09for the Lakers and Knicks in just a moment.
00:11But as a there was a moment in the game that we want to
00:15address.
00:23That was LeBron James coming up to me.
00:27Unexpectedly.
00:28I might add to confront me about making sure that I mind
00:34what I say about his son can't repeat the words because
00:39they ain't suited for FCC airwaves.
00:41That's what he was doing.
00:46And I thought long and hard about this over the last few
00:50hours because I had no intentions Molly of talking about
00:53this at all.
00:54Yeah, and the reason why is because it was a one-on-one.
00:58I wouldn't say a conversation but it was a one-on-one
01:00confrontation, but then I wake up and everybody from ESPN
01:06and my agent and everybody else were sending me that this
01:09thing had gone viral.
01:11And so ultimately it was unavoidable and that is why I
01:14have to discuss it now.
01:18That wasn't a basketball player.
01:21Confronting me that was a parent.
01:25That was a father.
01:27And I can't sit here and be angry or feel slighted by LeBron
01:34James in any way in that regard by all accounts.
01:38He's obviously a wonderful family man and a wonderful
01:40father who cares very very deeply about his son and based
01:44on some of the comments that he had heard or shall I say
01:47I think he thought he heard he clearly took exception to
01:53some of the things that he heard me say and he confronted
01:56me about it for the record his agent and friend Rich Paul
02:01has my number Maverick Carter who works under him has my
02:04number LeBron James knows how to get in contact with me
02:09if he wanted to he never called because had he called and
02:14wanted to talk to me.
02:15I would have accepted that call had he wanted to see me.
02:18I would have flown out and I would have seen him and I
02:19would have had a conversation man-to-man but that is
02:22not what he elected to do instead he elected to confront
02:28me while I was sitting courtside Ari Emanuel the head
02:31of William Morris Endeavor one of the agents one of the
02:36agencies that represents me along with Larry David was
02:39sitting courtside.
02:40I was with them for the game and he walked right up to
02:43me and he said what he had to say and apparently he feels
02:47like I was sliding his son.
02:51Now, let me tell you what I feel.
02:55What I would have said if we were in a different environment
02:58because I was not going to engage in a confrontation at
03:01that particular moment in that setting.
03:04But if we had had that conversation, I would have said to
03:07LeBron James.
03:10I never would speak negatively about your son.
03:14I was talking about you meaning you LeBron James.
03:19I have nothing but the best wishes for Bronnie James.
03:22I wish him nothing but the best.
03:24I hope that he flourishes into an NBA star usually in other
03:28sports.
03:28We see all stars and on occasion will see their children
03:33become stars as well that doesn't really happen with the
03:36NBA.
03:37I sincerely hope he's the exception by all accounts.
03:39He's a wonderful kid and I don't know anybody who roots
03:44against him and it certainly isn't me.
03:46But in the same breath at the time that we were talking
03:48about him, he was percolating to such a degree that the
03:53Bronnie James stories had gone viral.
03:56And so we had to talk about it.
03:58And when I said the things that I said, I wasn't talking
04:02about Bronnie James because my attitude is he's a rookie.
04:06It's going to take some time for him to get himself together.
04:09He'll be just fine, especially with JJ Redick and the staff
04:11coaching him.
04:13I was talking about the position that he was put in.
04:17By his dad.
04:18Because LeBron James has been on the record and he has said
04:22and I'll read the quote here.
04:25There was a quote that he that he gave in February of 2024.
04:30The work and results will ultimately do talking no matter
04:33what the size of y'all don't know.
04:35He doesn't care what mock drafts say.
04:37He just works earned not given Etc.
04:39Etc.
04:40But he also had said that his son could play on the Lakers
04:46right now and he was better than half the dudes in the NBA.
04:51In the aftermath of all of that.
04:52He instructed everybody before the draft that y'all want
04:54me draft.
04:55Bronnie wherever Bronnie is at.
04:56That's where I'll be.
04:58I'll do whatever it takes to play with my son for you.
05:00It's not about the money at that point.
05:03My point months ago was that because of who you are one
05:08of the top two players in the history of basketball in
05:11my estimation.
05:12There's an immense amount of pressure that comes with that
05:17for his son.
05:19And when he talked like that and what have you anything
05:23that goes awry as it pertains to his son.
05:26There's going to be a microscopic eye even more intensified
05:31on Bronnie James because of his dad and that's when I was
05:36talking about come on man.
05:38This is the situation that you're putting him in.
05:41That's where I was coming from.
05:43I could be a bit more outspoken about it.
05:47But to be quite honest with you to be in that moment.
05:50To have LeBron look at me the way that he did for me to
05:54be a father of two daughters to me for me to know what
05:57fathers how much love fathers have for their children.
06:00And to hear what he had to say it was all about his son.
06:05It was almost as if he was saying.
06:08You know you and I because he and I don't necessarily vibe
06:11is high and by we keep it moving neither of us lose sleep
06:14over it and it's been that way for years, but it was like
06:18he was saying keep that between me and you.
06:23Almost as if he was thinking that anything that I said
06:27about Bronnie was a result of him.
06:30And in that situation again, I wasn't talking about
06:32Bronnie.
06:33I was really really talking about him because of the
06:35position that Bronnie was in but I really understood
06:39where he was coming from.
06:41He was very very upset.
06:43I could tell he could have called me.
06:47I came to see him.
06:49I'd have had a conversation with him.
06:50He could have been just as upset face to face man to
06:52man as opposed to being courtside at the game.
06:54I had no idea that everybody saw it until I woke up
06:57this morning, but it is what it is in the end.
07:00Like I said, you know, I as a father.
07:07I get it.
07:08I'm not offended not insulted.
07:12I don't have any animosity or animus towards LeBron James
07:15for this nothing like that.
07:16I don't think he cares but neither do I I'm just stating
07:19fact none of that exist.
07:22If I was in his position, I can't definitively say I
07:26would not have done the same thing.
07:28Yeah, I'm not blaming him one bit.
07:29I get it.
07:30I understand it and there's a part of me that aches and
07:33hurts because of it.
07:36But unlike a whole bunch of people with their podcast
07:41and beyond the talk about the NBA I covered the NBA and
07:47it's my job to talk about the subjects and the subject
07:51matters that matter.
07:52I work for ESPN.
07:54I'm here.
07:56We have the number one morning show for the last 13 years
07:59and counting God has blessed us with that.
08:02There's a lot that's going on and there's a lot of stories
08:04that are there to be told and I just feel it's necessary
08:09to remind people Molly.
08:12I was raised as a journalist.
08:13Let's be very very clear about what that means.
08:17I'm not one of those that get into people's private
08:19affairs.
08:21But what you do on a public platform for public consumption,
08:27that's what I cover.
08:28That's what I do for a living and if you're in the NBA
08:33that applies to you.
08:35I don't want enemies.
08:37I live a very good life.
08:38I like to make people laugh and smile and have a good
08:40time and all of that other stuff, but also get paid to
08:43call it like I see it.
08:45And what I said at the time I stand by what I said.
08:50It wasn't even any reporting the facts were out there
08:53and what I was saying about LeBron is fact-based because
08:57of what he said and the things that he said leading up
09:01to his son getting drafted and ultimately being in the
09:04NBA on the same team as him as opposed to being a Boston
09:06Celtic or Golden State Warrior.
09:08There is no way around that and when you are born and
09:12raised as a journal not born and raised but when you're
09:14raised as a journalist professionally, you don't want
09:17enemies, but you ain't paid to make friends.
09:20You got to call it like you see it and that's what I did.
09:22So again in closing.
09:24I just want to say I'm not upset.
09:29I don't care.
09:29I wish that it wasn't in that kind of atmosphere.
09:32I wish it was in a private setting.
09:34Yep.
09:35I don't blame LeBron James for being upset.
09:38I don't blame him for being angry.
09:40I don't blame him for wanting to confront me because
09:43that wasn't a superstar basketball player that confront
09:45he played like one again last night, which just reminds
09:49you of his focus and his greatness.
09:51Yeah, but that wasn't a basketball player that approached
09:53me last night.
09:54Let's get that was a daddy.
09:55What happened on the floor in Stephen a I appreciate you
09:57putting yourself in his shoes and I'm glad that LeBron got
10:00to address what's on his heart as well.