Stephen A. Smith Reveals What LeBron James Said to Him in Heated Confrontation During Game

• LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith were spotted having a fraught confrontation after James' Lakers beat the New York Knicks on Thursday, March 6

• Fans speculated that James was mad at Smith for his comments about James' son Bronny James, and Smith confirmed that on Friday morning

• Smith has frequently questioned Bronny's place in the NBA since the 20-year-old's debut in October

Stephen A. Smith is offering clarity as to what LeBron James said to him during a heated courtside discussion caught on camera Thursday night.

The 57-year-old ESPN personality was sitting courtside for the Los Angeles Lakers’ dramatic come-from-behind overtime win against the New York Knicks, which culminated with James, 40, getting face-to-face with Smith before leaving the court after the game concluded.

Video of the incident appeared to show James angrily yelling at Smith, drawing overnight speculation and tabloid reporting about what was said between the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and the outspoken ESPN personality, who has been critical of James' oldest son Bronny James this season.

Bronny, a rookie, was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers and briefly teamed up with his father earlier this season before being sent down to the franchise’s G-League development team. The New York Post reported that LeBron has previously reached out to Smith and told the ESPN host to stop criticizing his son, leading to Thursday’s incident.

On ESPN’s First Take program Friday morning, Smith confirmed that’s what LeBron was yelling at him about, though he said he’s “not blaming” LeBron “one bit” for defending his son.

“I really understood where he was coming from,” Smith said. “He was very, very upset. I could tell. But he could’ve called me. I’d have came to see him. I’d have had a conversation with him. He could’ve been just as upset face-to-face, man-to-man as opposed to being courtside at the game. I had no idea that everybody saw it until I woke up this morning, but it is what it is in the end. Like I said, as a father, I get it. I’m not offended. I’m not insulted. I don’t have any animosity or animus towards LeBron James for this, nothing like that.”

Smith continued, clarifying : “If I was in his position, I can’t definitively say I would not have done the same thing. I’m not blaming him one bit, I understand it. And there’s a part of me that aches and hurts because of it. But unlike a whole bunch of people with their podcast and beyond that talk about the NBA, I cover the NBA. And it’s my job to talk about the subjects and the subject matters that matter.”

Related: LeBron James Says Playing with Son Bronny in the NBA Is His 'No. 1 Accomplishment': 'I Love That Kid'

The ESPN personality said he and LeBron have not had an amicable relationship throughout the NBA star’s career, but that neither of them “lose sleep” over that. However, he speculated that LeBron believes Smith’s professional criticism of Bronny had stemmed from their own interpersonal issues, which the First Take host denied and sought to clarify, pointing out that his commentary on Bronny’s status in the NBA was based on LeBron’s own public comments leading up to last year’s NBA Draft.

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Smith has said in recent weeks that he believes Bronny, who has averaged 1.4 points per game this season after averaging just over 4 points per game during his college career, is only in the NBA “because of his dad.”

Related: LeBron James and Son Bronny Deny 'Each and Every' Allegation of Wrongdoing in 2022 Car Accident

LeBron often talked up his son’s talent in interviews and on social media leading up to the NBA Draft, once musing that Bronny was better than other NBA players when he was still in high school. LeBron also made it a longstanding goal to play alongside his son in the NBA, leading many fans and insiders around the league to believe his desire had a significant influence on the Lakers drafting his son last offseason.

“I was raised as a journalist,” Smith said. “Let’s be very clear about what that means: I’m not one of those that get into people’s private affairs. But what you do on a public platform for public consumption, that’s what I cover. That’s what I do for a living. And if you’re in the NBA, that applies to you. I don’t want enemies. I live a very good life. I like to make people laugh and smile and have a good time and all that other stuff, but I also get paid to call it like I see it. And what I said at the time, I stand by what I said. It wasn’t even any reporting, the facts were out there. And what I was saying about LeBron is fact-based because of what he said and the things he said leading up to his son getting drafted and ultimately being on the same team as him, as opposed to being a Boston Celtic or a Golden State Warrior. There is no way around that.”

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