LeBron James called attention to himself when he angrily confronted Stephen A. Smith during a game last week, and one former NBA star does not agree with the way the situation was handled.
A video that went viral showed LeBron scolding Smith about something during a timeout in the Lakers’ game against the New York Knicks in Los Angeles last Thursday. It quickly became obvious that James was confronting Smith over the ESPN analyst’s coverage of LeBron’s son Bronny James.
During a Thursday appearance on FanDuel TV’s “Run it Back,” former NBA All-Star Gordon Hayward was asked about the dust-up between James and Smith. Hayward said there were numerous times during his 14-year NBA career when he wanted to confront members of the media. He said he never would have done what LeBron did to Smith, though.
“I think we all have moments where we want to confront the talking heads, because a lot of stuff that they say they just don’t know what they’re talking about because they’re not with you in the locker room or they don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes,” Hayward said. “They have some source and they’re getting second-hand information. Me, personally, I would never do that in public like that. I don’t think that’s the time or the place to do something like that.”
Hayward is certainly not the only one who feels that way. Smith said he was blindsided by LeBron and that he wishes the Lakers star had found a way to get in touch with him privately. Smith also revealed some of the choice words James had for him.
Smith has been critical of LeBron for putting Bronny in a difficult situation with the Lakers. Like many others, Smith feels Bronny should be a full-time G League player and is not ready for the NBA. The numbers support that, as Bronny has played 76 total NBA minutes this season and is shooting just 25.8% from the field.
LeBron obviously felt like he needed to stick up for his son, but Smith has simply been doing his job. By throwing his weight around to secure NBA minutes for Bronny, LeBron has opened himself up to criticism. He should be able to handle the backlash.
