LeBron James Didn't Hold Back On ESPN When Calling Out Stephen A. Smith Again Following Their On-Court Confrontation

There's a big feud mounting in the sports world as LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith continue to trade jabs in the weeks following an on-court confrontation between them. This time, the NBA legend took the beef to Smith's homecourt, ESPN, and he didn't hold back on dissing the First Take host.

To preface the situation for readers who may not know, LeBron James confronted Stephen A. Smith following a game on March 6th against the New York Knicks with what appeared to be a heated conversation. The moment went viral, leading Smith to acknowledge it on First Take and state that James took offense with his criticism of his son Bronny, who, years after a health scare, is also in the NBA.

LeBron was a guest on The Pat McAfee Show, which also airs on ESPN, and he called out the pundit during his interview for a number of things:

The words "relax" and Stephen A. Smith are like mixing oil and water, because he's made a name for himself for his hot takes and fiery personality. That said, even his fellow commentator Richard Jefferson has hinted that Smith needs to chill in regard to going toe-to-toe with LeBron James. This latest interview might be evidence that's true, as ESPN heavily promoted the hour-long interview McAfee got with the NBA star.

It's not a great look for a sports pundit to be in a feud with one of the greatest athletes of a sport, but it's territory that Stephen A. Smith is not unfamiliar with. He's never been shy about calling his shot, whether it comes to predicting if a player ends up being a bust or when Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift will get married. Hell, he didn't even wait for the interview to take another shot at LeBron, dissing the player in response to a clip shown from the interview:

I know people sometimes joke about Stephen A. Smith moving into politics; he has made a career out of winning arguments on television for many years. Now, after LeBron James' comments, I would imagine he'll have to respond to whatever Smith cooks up after the interview in postgame interviews later tonight.

Or maybe not, because Stephen A. Smith isn't above admitting when he is wrong. He apologized to Rihanna for posting about her Super Bowl halftime show. Given that, I think it's possible he'll throw up the white flag and apologize to James and the perceived insult toward Bronny James.

Beyond taking shots at Stephen A. Smith, LeBron James talked about a wide variety of things, including all the memes that have inadvertently made him one of the funniest players in the NBA. I was disappointed Pat McAfee and his crew didn't get to ask him about the bizarre "You Are My Sunshine" memes, but it's an interview worth watching for those who haven't seen it yet.

The Pat McAfee Show is on weekdays on ESPN, starting at noon. We'll see if LeBron makes any other appearances on the network going forward and what Stephen A. Smith will have to say about all of this.