The LeBron James-Stephen A Smith feud is officially in marathon mode, dragging into its third straight week with no signs of slowing down. Smith made yet another appearance to discuss the situation, this time joining Gil’s Arena on Tuesday alongside his new First Take co-host, Gilbert Arenas. The conversation started with basketball talk, but it didn’t take long for things to shift to his back-and-forth with LeBron.
This latest chapter came after James confronted him courtside at Crypto.com Arena, fueling even more drama and then during Saturday’s Lakers-Celtics showdown. LeBron was spotted chatting with Richard Jefferson, and it didn’t take a lip reader to guess what they were discussing. With everything that went down between him and Stephen A Smith, it looked like LeBron still had that confrontation on his mind.
At this point, Smith has talked about the incident everywhere. He kicked off First Take last Friday with a 10-minute monologue, then spent the weekend airing things out on his podcast. But on Gil’s Arena, his response had a different tone—more dismissive, more cutting.
ESPN’s ‘First Take’ hosts Molly Qerim and Stephen A. Smith were on hand for a live broadcast from Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium ahead of The Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic 2022. Friday, September 02, 2022. Espn First Take Benson06
And fans have definitely taken notice. Social media has been flooded with reactions, with many calling out Smith for dragging out the interaction with the 4x MVP. Some people compared his handling of the situation to viral internet moments and mocked him for giving the feud too much airtime.
Fans call out Stephen A Smith, feel he is milking the small interaction with LeBron James
A fan hilariously pointed out, “This man is milking a 15-second interaction more than Hawk Tuah girl.” And honestly, they have a point. Stephen A Smith has turned his brief courtside exchange with LeBron James into a full-blown saga, stretching across multiple First Take segments, his own podcast, and now guest appearances on other shows.
The comparison to the Hawk Tuah girl—a viral sensation is spot on. Haliey Welch, the Hawk Tuah girl started her own podcast after she went viral and has crossed 200k subscribers. She turned a single wild interview clip into instant fame. And SAS who’s already famous but is still milking the incident.
One fan didn’t hold back, saying, “Sports media loves to dish it out but never wants to take it. Bron checking Stephen A. was long overdue.”. This sentiment has been building for a while.
Sports analysts thrive on criticism—they call out players for bad games, question coaching decisions, and dissect every misstep. But when the tables turn, and an athlete pushes back, it suddenly becomes a major controversy. While analysts like Smith expect players to respond on the court, some fans feel it was refreshing to see the 4x MVP check him face-to-face. It raises the question: should media figures be just as open to scrutiny as the athletes they critique?
One fan pointed out, “Definitely didn’t have that same energy with Bron in his face!”. SAS made it clear he wasn’t impressed on Gil’s Arena, calling the whole situation weak and dismissing it as complete “b——-“.
He had no problem calling out LeBron and questioning Bronny’s role with the Lakers on national TV. But when the 21x All-Star confronted him courtside, the dynamic shifted.
Instead of doubling down, Smith admitted that LeBron’s approach as a father—not a player—threw him off. That’s a stark contrast from his usual confident demeanor in the studio.
Definitely didn’t have that same energy with Bron in his face!
— Ryan Reed (@ryanreed50) March 11, 2025
One fan pointed out the contradiction in Smith’s response, saying, “All he’s doing now is covering his a–. He already said Bron’s team reached out to him prior to the confrontation to tone it down. He mocked them for it on his pod, then Bron pressed him and he’s talking about ‘you should have told me privately’ lool… just milking the situation .”
This is why fans are calling him out. It looks like he’s shifting the narrative to control the fallout rather than sticking to his original stance. And let’s be real—Smith knows how to keep a story going. What started as a quick exchange has now turned into weeks of content.
Another netizen chimed in with, “Same n—- that said he doesn’t wanna speak about it doing a press tour now.”. Smith initially claimed he didn’t want to dwell on his confrontation with LeBron, even suggesting he was ready to move on. Yet, instead of letting it go, he’s been addressing it on every possible platform—First Take, his podcast, Gil’s Arena, and wherever else he can get a mic. A brief courtside moment quickly evolved into a full-blown media circuit.
Fans refuse to let it slide. They call out the contradictions in his response and question whether he is truly upset or merely milking the moment for content. Meanwhile, LeBron has largely stayed quiet, leaving everyone wondering if he’ll fire back or let Smith continue talking.
One thing’s for sure—this saga isn’t dying down anytime soon.
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