Why Stephen A. Smith Is Suddenly Ready to Squash His Beef With LeBron James

Following years of animosity and a public confrontation, Stephen A. Smith is ready to squash his long-standing beef with LeBron James. On the latest episode of “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” Smith revealed why he’s suddenly ready to bury the hatchet with the NBA icon.

“You all know that I’ve had my issues with LeBron James and vice versa,” Smith said on Monday. “I do not hate the man. I was pissed off at one point in time, but I’m thoroughly over that. I’m 59 years old. Life is short, ain’t got time for all of that.”

The radio host and sports analyst added: “I wish him nothing but the best, and I’m looking forward to covering him as his career comes to an end over the next two years. Hopefully, he’ll win a championship for Philadelphia.” Talk about an unexpected plot twist!

Their feud reached a boiling point in early 2025 when Smith sharply criticized Bronny James’ place in the NBA, arguing that the rookie belonged in the G League. Smith also took aim at the Los Angeles Lakers, claiming Bronny was only drafted because of his famous father.

​RELATED: Stephen A. Smith Details Why LeBron James Confronted Him

“I am pleading with LeBron James, as a father. Stop this,” Smith exclaimed during an episode of “First Take” on January 29, 2025. “We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad.”

After that, during a nationally televised NBA game in March 2025, LeBron—who was playing for the Lakers at the time— seemingly had enough of Smith’s commentary and confronted him at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

​When there was a break in the action, James got up from the bench, ran up on Smith, and allegedly told him, “I’mma tell you one time, bro. Keep my son out of this s**t, bro,” the Akron Beacon Journal reported. The next day on “First Take,” Smith said that James should have contacted him privately to speak his mind. “LeBron James knows how to get in touch with me if he wanted to,” Smith said. “He never called.”

Appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show” the following month, James said that Smith was on a “Taylor Swift tour run,” as he constantly addressed the tense interaction and claimed the polarizing sports commentator loved the attention.

“It started off with, ‘I didn’t want to address it, [to] I wasn’t going to address it. But since the video came out, I feel the need to address it.’ Motherf*cker, are you kidding me? If there was one person that couldn’t wait until the video had dropped so you could address it, it was your ass,” James said. “Like, seriously?”

While Smith and James may never sit down for a candid one-on-one, Smith’s willingness to end the feud proves that even the fiercest rivalries in sports media eventually hit an expiration date. By changing the narrative and dropping the personal friction, they both have much more at stake at this stage of their careers than carrying on a public grudge. As of this writing, LeBron has not publicly responded to Smith’s olive branch.