Full Show: LeBron James Caught on Hot Mic Recounting Heated Incident with Stephen A. Smith. Nephew Josh is back with receipts.

Summary

The Stephen A. Smith Show: LeBron James Caught on Hot Mic Recounting Heated Incident with Stephen A. Smith. Nephew Josh is Back with Receipts

Release Date: March 10, 2025

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Introduction

In this compelling episode of "The Stephen A. Smith Show," host Stephen A. Smith navigates a tense confrontation with NBA superstar LeBron James concerning James's son, Bronny James. The discussion expands beyond personal disputes, delving into the pressures faced by young athletes, the dynamics of familial relationships in sports, and broader intersections with business and media.

The Heated Confrontation

At [01:05], Stephen A. Smith introduces the central incident that has sparked significant attention. During an NBA game in Los Angeles, Stephen was approached by LeBron James, who expressed his frustration directly:

• LeBron James: “[01:08] Stop effing with my son. That's my effing son.”

This confrontation occurred while Stephen was courtside, highlighting the intensity and immediacy of the exchange.

Stephen A.'s Clarification

Stephen A. Smith seeks to clarify that his previous comments were not a personal attack on Bronny James but rather a critique of the undue pressure being placed on him due to his father's prominence:

• Stephen A. Smith: “[10:25] I'm saying, that's your son, bro. You know the game of basketball.”

He elaborates that the spotlight on Bronny is intensified because of LeBron's stature, making it harder for the young athlete to navigate his career independently.

LeBron James and Rich Paul's Defense

LeBron James, alongside his agent Rich Paul, defends Bronny's position and their intentions:

• LeBron James: “[25:14] You can't judge him on what you see his first year in college because he's not 100% healthy.”
• Rich Paul: “[24:51] Bronnie should be contextualized and presented better.”

They argue that Bronny should be evaluated on his own merits without the overwhelming expectations that come from being LeBron's son, emphasizing the importance of giving him space to grow and prove himself.

Impact on Personal and Professional Relationships

Stephen A. reflects on how this incident has strained his relationship with LeBron James and affected his standing in the sports community:

• Stephen A. Smith: “[25:58] I'm not taking it anymore.”

He expresses frustration over being labeled as someone who "hates on brothers," asserting that his intentions were misunderstood and that his critiques were meant to advocate for fair treatment of young athletes like Bronny.

Broader Sports Discussions

Transitioning from the personal conflict, Stephen A. delves into the NFL free agency landscape, analyzing major trades and contract signings:

• Stephen A. Smith: “[50:21] We'll begin in Pittsburgh, where the Steelers traded for wideout DK Metcalf...”

He discusses the strategic implications of these moves, including DK Metcalf’s potential pairing with George Pickens and the quarterback dilemma facing the Steelers with Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers as options.

Humorous Interlude with Nephew Josh

The episode features a light-hearted segment with Stephen A.'s nephew, Josh, who brings humor and familial dynamics into the conversation:

• Josh: “[59:49] I'm great. Friday I had a bad day. I mean, I got fired.”

Their playful banter contrasts sharply with the earlier tension, providing a breather and showcasing Stephen’s personable side.

Final Reflections and Look Ahead

As the episode concludes, both Stephen A. and LeBron James offer their final thoughts on the incident and its implications for their professional relationships:

• LeBron James: “[72:47] That's it for this edition of Stephen A. Smith Show.”
• Stephen A. Smith: “[72:45] Go ahead, say the last word. Hurry up.”

They acknowledge the complexities of their interactions and hint at future discussions and developments in their relationship and professional lives.

Notable Quotes

• LeBron James: “[01:08] Stop effing with my son. That's my effing son.”
• Stephen A. Smith: “[10:25] I'm saying, that's your son, bro. You know the game of basketball.”
• LeBron James: “[25:14] You can't judge him on what you see his first year in college because he's not 100% healthy.”
• Stephen A. Smith: “[25:58] I'm not taking it anymore.”
• LeBron James: “[72:47] That's it for this edition of Stephen A. Smith Show.”

Conclusion

This episode of "The Stephen A. Smith Show" masterfully blends intense personal confrontation with insightful sports analysis and familial humor. Stephen A. Smith and LeBron James navigate the delicate balance between professional critique and personal respect, offering listeners a nuanced perspective on the pressures faced by young athletes in the shadow of legendary figures. The inclusion of NFL discussions and the playful interaction with Josh enriches the episode, making it both informative and engaging for a broad audience.

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This summary captures all the critical elements of the episode, providing a structured and comprehensive overview while highlighting significant moments and quotes with appropriate timestamps.

Transcript

[Greg Rosenthal]

What's up everyone? It's Greg Rosenthal and I'm teaming up with the King of Spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're going to be bringing you 40s and free agents, the only podcast you'll need this NFL draft season. From DJs mock drafts to my top 101, free agents will have it covered for you with all new episodes every Thursday keeping you up to date as we head to the NFL Draft. Listen to 40s and free agents starting on March 6th on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Julie Swearbinks]

What's up everyone? Julie Swerbinks here along with former NHL player Nate Thompson.

[Nate Thompson]

We're doing a new podcast together. Here we go.

[Julie Swearbinks]

The name Energy Line with Nate and jsb.

[Nate Thompson]

Each week we'll get together and talk about hockey life. All topics are fair game, right?

[Julie Swearbinks]

Exactly. And you'll never know who will drop by to join us.

[Nate Thompson]

Julia's pretty well connected. She has text threads going that you wouldn't believe.

[Julie Swearbinks]

Listen to Energy Line with Nate and jsb on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Stephen A. Smith]

All right, folks, I need you all to stop what you're doing and listen up.

[LeBron James]

You know I love this time of the year. The NBA season is in full swing.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And with all this action going on.

[LeBron James]

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[Stephen A. Smith]

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[LeBron James]

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[Stephen A. Smith]

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[LeBron James]

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[Stephen A. Smith]

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[LeBron James]

First five dollar lineup prospects. Hey, run your game today.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'll give you my picks for tonight's.

[LeBron James]

Game between my beloved New York Knicks and of course, the Sacramento Kings. So let's get to it.

[Stephen A. Smith]

First up, we'll call Anthony Town. Score more or less than 26 and.

[LeBron James]

A half points for the Knicks. I'm going with more because there's no Jalen Br.

[Stephen A. Smith]

He's one of your top two offensive options.

[LeBron James]

He's in the lineup. Brunson is out and as a result, the Knicks are going to have to rely on him more because Sacramento can't put up points The New York Knicks are going to have to score points to win this game, which means they're going to have to go to Carl Anthony Towns often. He's going to score more than 26 and a half points. Unless he's resembling a construction worker and he's laying bricks, that's the only way he's not scoring more than 26 and a half points in this particular game.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Next up, will the New York Knicks.

[LeBron James]

Mikel Bridges score more or less than 18 points? I'm going with more as well because he's going to have free reign to shoot the ball. He's got a little accuracy to him. He's going to score some points. I think he's going to score more in this game against Sacramento as well. Needless to say, we got to get the Sacramento Kings guard slash forward Demar DeRozan. Will he score more or less than 23 and a half points? Mr. Mid Range himself, who is an offensive powerhouse when he wants to be going up against a New York Knicks team whose defense is suspect, to say the least. I definitely think he's going to score more than 23 1/2 points. And finally, will the Sacramento King Zach LaVine score more or less than 22 1/2 points? Boy, do I hope this brother comes back in the slam dunk contest. He'll put on the show, but for now he's going against my New York Knicks. And I think again because of the New York Knicks suspect defense, particularly against three point shooters and he could hit some threes. I definitely see him scoring more than 22 and a half points as well. So that's it. More for Carl Anthony Towns, more for Mikhail Bridges, more for demar deroza and more for Zach Lavine. It's more, more, more, more. We love that word when it comes to prize picks because when we think more, we're talking about money in our pockets. Some NFL news percolating over the weekend, and of course, a couple of thrilling NBA games that I certainly am going to touch on because it can manipulate standings and playoff seatings in the NBA playoffs. I'll get into all of that, but that's after I address more of Mr. LeBron James and what we got into. I had a weekend asleep on some things. I got a lot of shit on my mind. Stephen A. Smith show in the house. Let's go. What's up, everybody? Everybody, welcome to the latest edition of the Stephen A. Smith Show. Coming at you as I love to do over the Digital Airways or YouTube and of course iheartradio appreciate all the love and support from the from subscribers out there. To get notified for all of our newest content, just click the bell and you too shall be considered the latest member of the Stephen A. Smith show family. Let's get started in the NBA, where the top two teams in the east and the west are solidified.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But which Finals matchup should fans want to see?

[LeBron James]

I'll get into all of that a little bit later after starting off with where I really want to start up, which is with a follow up of what happened last Thursday night in Los Angeles When LeBron James confronted me about his son Bronnie. I spoke about it last Friday on First Take and right here on this podcast as well. And obviously that made a lot of news because he approached me surprisingly and what have you. And it took off from there just to remind everybody of what transpired. I was sitting courtside. I was a guest of Ari Emanuel for William Morris Endeavor, the agency that represents me. One of the agency that represents me, of course, and he was with Larry David, the actor and producer from Curb youb Enthusiasm. We were all sitting together. I was standing up. It was the third quarter out of a timeout. LeBron James rolled over on me and basically started speaking to me, getting in my face about, stop effing with my son. That's my effing son. Stop effing with my son. And I was about the size of it. He didn't give me much of a chance to speak, to respond. You heard me last week allude to this on several occasions, where I said, that wasn't a basketball player approaching me. That was a father. That was a father protecting his son. And that I understood it. It's a few days later. My position has not changed in that regard. I do understand that. I truly, truly do. But what I said at that particular moment in time, which was this past Friday, was that had I had an opportunity to speak to LeBron, if the environment was conducive to that, not in the middle of a game, standing on the sideline where my only recourse would be to make a scene by retaliating while a national audience was watching on tnt, sitting courtside just a few feet away from the Lakers bench, I was not going to do that, ladies and gentlemen. Forget the fact. Or should it wait? Maybe we should or shouldn't forget the fact. That's up to you. But it was on the day where I was all over the news because news had percolated that I'd reached a new contract extension with espn. It was that day. But that's neither here nor there. When that stuff happened, what I was going to say to LeBron James, which would have clearly made the situation worse, is what I said on national television Friday morning when I spoke about it on First Take on espn and in the aftermath, right here on the Stephen A. Smith show over the Digital Airways of YouTube and of course, iHeartRadio. I said that when I brought up Bronnie James and I was speaking about him. The incident that if clearly infuriated LeBron James so much, I wasn't talking about about Bronnie James. I was talking about you, LeBron James. And what threw me off was that LeBron James kept saying, stop on my son. That's my effing son. That's my effing stun. Stop on my son. And that bothered me all weekend long because I was trying to figure out when was I shitting on his son. And that's why I decided to come back and revisit this today, because something happened over the weekend that seemed fairly innocuous to you all, but not to me. And I want you to see this clip right here and to see what they're saying. This is LeBron James talking to my ESPN and ABC colleague Richard Jefferson, his former teammate. They won a championship together in Cleveland. Richard Jefferson now works for ESPN and ABC, calling games. And LeBron was speaking to him prior to the game against Boston in Boston on Saturday night. And I would like you all to take a look at this and to see what they're saying. LeBron said to Richard Jefferson, take a look. So y'all saw that. So he was saying that what set him off is me saying, I'm pleading with you as a father, ladies and gentlemen. He's alluding to what I said on January 29, first on first take. But now on here on this show, the Stephen A. Smith show, the same day, I addressed the topics on both platforms. Here's what I said on the Stephen A. Smith Show. Play this, please, with LeBron. The best of intentions, wonderful father by all accounts. I'm not casting any aspersions on him.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm saying, that's your son, bro. You know the game of basketball.

[LeBron James]

He ain't ready yet.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Why put him in that position? You had your moment being on the court with him. Now that kid's got to go earn his stripes, which I believe he will do. Watching him in the G League.

[LeBron James]

You can't do this.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Can't continue to let us see what we've been seeing. And I'm wrong. I'm questioning him as a father because I'm saying, yo, wrap your arms around him and say, not now, not just yet. That's questioning somebody's fatherhood.

[LeBron James]

There you have it. That's what LeBron James was talking about. And our first take that morning, I was saying, I'm pleading with LeBron James, stop it, stop this. Yet the LeBron James that approached me said I was shitting on his son. I'm perplexed at the moment because I don't believe I've ever done that. Had he said, you shitting on me and you talking about me as a father, I would have known exactly what he was talking about. And maybe it's best in the moment that I didn't recall that. I didn't. I couldn't decipher what he was saying. Cuz I might have said what I was tempted to say. I was talking about you. We sit here more than a month later. I stand by what I said, just like I said on television Friday. Why do I stand on what I said? Why do I stand by what I said? Because it's important that all of you know the back history as it pertains to me now, we gonna get a little deep. When Bronnie James was in high school, I never went to see him play on purpose. I hinted at potentially going over to Sierra Canyon and watching him play, but I never went. And when I spoke about it on the air, I said, the kid, from what I'm being told, has potential. But we all know how great his father is, and we all know what a figure his father is. Not just as a player, but in some people's eyes, as an activist. And in some people's eyes, you know, in a variety of other ways that.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Can serve to not just galvanize but.

[LeBron James]

Polarize certain communities in this country. Folks are looking for an excuse if I walk into an arena because I'm Stephen A. And to watch a basketball player that is the son of LeBron James. I know that from the moment I depart from there, everyone wants a critique about his game. And I did not want to do that. So I never want and watched him play in high school out of respect and deference to the James family. He goes to college, he suffers the heart ailment. I mean, my God, it scared the living hell out of us when we all heard the news that for a couple of seconds he wasn't responsive. You're like, oh my God, we hope he's okay.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And I said, to recover from that.

[LeBron James]

You can't judge him on what you see his first year in college because.

[Stephen A. Smith]

He'S not 100% healthy.

[LeBron James]

That's not fair to him because he's.

[Stephen A. Smith]

LeBron James son and you're inviting additional scrutiny. So I never went to usc. I'm out here in LA all the time. I'm here now. I've had opportunities to go to USC to watch Bronny James play, but I didn't think it would be fair to him and to LeBron James. So I never went. I never went. Denny's entering the draft instead of staying in school. And when he decided to enter the draft and you had people speculating about what he wasn't, it was a colleague of mine by the name of Kendrick Perkins, who went on national television as a former All American with LeBron James in the 2003 All American class, if I remember correctly, who said in front of the cameras on the record, we've never seen a 14 year old be.

[LeBron James]

Named a McDonald's All American.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Bringing into question the legitimacy of Bronny.

[LeBron James]

James being an All American.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I didn't touch it. He gets drafted, but even while he got drafted, we were told Golden State might have been interested, Phoenix might have been interested, the Clippers were interested, Boston might have been interested, but were dissuaded from grabbing him because LeBron James and Rich Paul and Klutch Sports and those guys that made it very, very clear.

[LeBron James]

He'S going to be a Laker, and.

[Stephen A. Smith]

They honored those wishes. We didn't say anything about that opening night father and son Ken Griffey Jr. Ken Griffey Senior in attendance us who cover the league knows that people were going to question the merit, which means that the league would be reluctant to embrace this, that the Lakers, the most storied franchise in basketball animals outside of the Boston Celtics, would be reluctant to embrace it. But everybody did. And so did the media.

[LeBron James]

So did I. I was in attendance.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I was standing up and I was.

[LeBron James]

Clapping just like everybody else when he entered the game. And then ultimately the games were played. And all I said was, he's doing great in the G League, but on this level, he's not ready yet. For a variety of reasons, don't do this. Why did I say as a father.

[Stephen A. Smith]

If it were a Kenyon Martin and his son, I wouldn't have said that. If it were a Carmelo Anthony and his son, I would not have said that. If it was a Glenn Big Dog Robinson and his son, I would not have said that. If it was Rick Barry and one of his sons. I would not have said that. I would not have said that about any of those folks because none of those folks had made headlines promoting their child to be in the NBA as a player or a star in the league. This son just came in there, Tim Hardaway, let me not forget him, senior and junior. That didn't happen. Those dudes played and performed and positioned themselves to be in that situation. That wasn't the case here. So for those, including LeBron, that were caught up in me saying, as a father, I'm saying as a father, you said, I want to play with my.

[LeBron James]

Son in the NBA.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You said, I don't care if you want me draft Bronnie. At this point, it's not about the money. I don't care where it is. I'll play there. I just want to have a year with my son. It was you that said, despite high school, despite the heart ailment, he's better than some of the players in the league. So when I was saying, as a dad, don't do it, I wasn't just talking about Bronnie the player. I was talking about the dad saying the things that he was saying. That was only adding pressure to the son. That's what I was doing. So I've never, ever, ever been about being critical of Ronnie. I've gone out of my way being who I am in the position that I am in to avoid even critiquing him for years out of respect for the James family. Rich Paul knows that. Adam Meddleson knows that. Maverick Carter knows that. Opposing agents and players, former in present, who would ask me why I wouldn't do it, know my position. It was on the record. There's clips of it on first take. That was my position. So when he said to me, stop on my son, I'm like, what? What are you talking about?

[LeBron James]

But then something happened. Something happened and a light bulb hit my ear. And that was him with Richard Jefferson. I'll get to that in a second, but after a word from Prize Picks.

[Stephen A. Smith]

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[LeBron James]

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[LeBron James]

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[LeBron James]

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[Stephen A. Smith]

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[LeBron James]

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[LeBron James]

LeBron James with Richard Jefferson. You saw the video. So when he sat up there and said, when I'm talking as a dad. Right? Right. That's the only thing. That's the only thing. I'm tripping. I don't give a f. Once he talks about you. As I plead as a father, I can't. I can't. So it wasn't about Bronnie. It was. Those are his words. Once he said, as a father, that was about him. Which was my point. January 29th it's been about you. I don't want to have a critical word about Bronny James at this stage of his career.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And I completely agree with LeBron's agent and the head of Clutch Sports, Rich Paul. We don't always agree. A matter of fact, most of the time we don't agree at all. But we talk and I respect the.

[LeBron James]

Hell out of him. And he made very valid points.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And I want to emphasize Rich is just class.

[LeBron James]

And I got a lot of love for Rich because he's just. He's decent at his core and he's.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Going to call you and talk to.

[LeBron James]

You man to man. He would have Never did what LeBron James did Thursday night. He never would have done that. But that's neither here nor there.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But Rich Paul made a point that.

[LeBron James]

Bronnie should be contextualized and presented better. I agree with him on that. There's plenty of dudes in the NBA and who have been in the NBA over the years that have been drafted in the second who struggle initially before getting their bearings under them and ultimately elevating their level of play. He is absolutely right.

[Stephen A. Smith]

The reason why it's different for Bronnie.

[LeBron James]

As opposed to others is because he's LeBron James son. The nil deals, the four year, eight million dollar contract, all of these other things that come with it that doesn't happen for the average 55th pick overall in the second round of an NBA draft. The fact of the matter is, is that there's plenty of dudes that have come in in the second round and it takes them a couple of years, in some cases longer, to get their bearings under them. He is absolutely right. But having said all of that, that again, buffers my point. It was never about Bronnie. I wouldn't do that to a kid.

[Stephen A. Smith]

It was about.

[LeBron James]

His dad.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And it wasn't about his dad even.

[LeBron James]

Wanting him in the NBA. It's the things he said and the.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Things he maneuvered and manipulated in order to get his son to wear the.

[LeBron James]

Same uniform as him, which brought that attention.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And the reason why I'm bringing that up is because I want to get.

[LeBron James]

Into a conversation about me because of how some folks have been attacking me.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Not over this, but using this as.

[LeBron James]

An excuse to accuse me of hating on the brothers. I'm sick of that shit.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm not backing up from that anymore. I'm not taking it from people anymore. I'm not just a black man. I'm a brother. I'm not gonna take this from people anymore. I'm going on Gilbert Arenas's podcast tomorrow. Gill's arena with Rashad McCants. With Kenyon Martin, Swaggy P, Nick Young and the crew. I can't wait. I can't wait for that conversation. I'm not taking this no more from people. I've had it with this because it's incidents like this that people try to piggyback off of. And they try to use it as an excuse to talk about me hating on brothers. Me, the brother who is the ambassador for HBCU week that's generated millions in scholarship dollars for thousands of kids. Me, who's helped diversify ESPN with the opportunities as executive producer. First, take black folks. Men and women. Women, period. White as well. Any minority you can find. Me, I'm me who has worked in this business for 30 years. Think about what I know. Think about what I've seen. Think about how much incriminating stuff that I could say. Think about how many incriminating facts I have.

[LeBron James]

And I'm talking about the game.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But literally, these brothers act like if this were boxing and a black dude knocked another black dude out, and I talked about the black dude that got knocked out is black on black crime. But the brother that knocked him out, you just gonna ignore the praise I gave him. Devonte Davis fights Lamont Roach. Last week it was a majority draw because he took a knee. If the ref accounted that, Javante Davis should have lost the fight. Me saying that means I'm hating on a brother. What the hell is this world come to? But this is the stuff that I'm being subjected to. I'm not taking it anymore. I'm not taking it anymore. I see players, I ain't gonna even mention their names right now. I got plenty of time to do that. But LeBron is one of them. A week before he confronted me, remember, he said, watching somebody be the face of the league, where all these dudes do is go on it on the.

[LeBron James]

Air, in the mornings and on players. He was talking about me.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Why? Because I got you number two all time. I think LeBron James is the greatest.

[LeBron James]

Player in the history of man.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Outside of Michael Jordan. I don't have him as number one. Great father, great husband, great actor, great businessman, great family man, great philanthropist, great producer. What haven't I said? Four time champion, four time league mvp, all time leading score in NBA history right now.

[LeBron James]

Sure.

[Stephen A. Smith]

5 First ballot hall of Famer. What have I not said? Come on, man.

[LeBron James]

But they've been talking, these players, some.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Of them, not most, not all, but a few.

[LeBron James]

You know what they've been trying to do, right? In my opinion, what they've been trying to do is accuse me of selling out for the purposes of making it difficult for me to walk the streets as a black man amongst my peoples, treating me like I'm not down. And I got to come on here on a public platform and speak about the challenges and the trials and tribulations that I have had to endure to help us. Just because I'm critiquing your game. And too many of y'all have allowed them to get away with it. That's the real story here.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Because LeBron told Richard Jefferson and by virtue of doing that, told all of y'all.

[LeBron James]

It wasn't about his son.

[Stephen A. Smith]

It was about him. Because I said, as a father.

[LeBron James]

But you're gonna forget the quote you gave.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You don't forget how you oblivia about him. You gonna forget the fact that I said before he ever played the game, don't do that. Because you're bringing more attention on him, which means he's gonna be more heavily scrutinized. And then you're gonna get mad at us for pointing out what you were saying. But we forget that. We forget that.

[LeBron James]

Maybe, just maybe, y'all tired of listening to me. I got somebody I want you to listen to instead of me. Just for a couple of minutes. Right after you hear this.

[Stephen A. Smith]

This message is brought to you by Cologuard, a non invasive colon cancer screening test.

[LeBron James]

So I want to talk about colon cancer screening for a second here. I know you might hear that and instantly feel a bunch of dread. You're thinking stuff like drinking all of.

[Stephen A. Smith]

That prep liquid, having an invasive procedure, missing work.

[LeBron James]

No thanks. But hold on a second, because there's another option that allows you to skip all that drama. The Cologuard test.

[Stephen A. Smith]

It's a one of a kind way to feel more in control of your.

[LeBron James]

Colon cancer screening through a prescription based test with none of the prep that's required of a colonoscopy.

[Stephen A. Smith]

The Cologuard test is the only FDA.

[LeBron James]

Approved non invasive option that looks for both altered DNA and blood in your stool, which can indicate the presence of abnormal cells.

[Stephen A. Smith]

This test offers convenience and ease of.

[LeBron James]

Use and it's delivered right to your door. It's also affordable. Most Insured patients pay $0 at this point. Come on. Don't let your health take a back seat. You're out of excuses. So if you're 45 or older and.

[Stephen A. Smith]

At average risk, ask your healthcare provider.

[LeBron James]

About screening for colon cancer with the Cologuard test. You can also request the Cologuard prescription [e-mail] podcast.

[Stephen A. Smith]

The Cologuard test is intended to screen.

[LeBron James]

Adults 45 and older at average risk for colorectal cancer. Do not use a Cologuard test if.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You have had adenomas, have inflammatory bowel.

[LeBron James]

Disease and certain hereditary syndromes, or personal or family history of colorectal cancer.

[Stephen A. Smith]

The Cologuard test is not a replacement.

[LeBron James]

For colonoscopies in high risk patients. Cologuard test performance in adults ages 45.

[Stephen A. Smith]

To 49 is estimated based on a.

[LeBron James]

Large clinical study of patients 50 and older.

[Stephen A. Smith]

False positives and false negatives can occur.

[LeBron James]

Color Guard is available by prescription only.

[Hunter]

I'm Hunter, host of Hunting for Answers on the Black Effect Podcast Network. Join me every weekday as I share bite sized stories of missing and murdered Black women and girls in America. There are several ways we can all do better at protecting Black women. My contribution is shining a light on our missing sisters and amplifying their disregarded stories. Stories like Tameka Anderson. As she drove toward Galvez, she was in contact with several people talking on the phone as she made her way to what should have been a routine transaction. But Tameka never bought the car and she never returned home that day. One podcast, One Mission Save Our Girls. Join the search as we explore the chilling cases of missing and murdered Black women and girls. Listen to Hunting for Answers every weekday on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jamie Petras]

September 1979 Virginia's top prison band, Edge of Daybreak, is about to record their debut album, Behind Bars in just five hours.

[Ryan Clark]

Okay, we're rolling.

[LeBron James]

One, two, three, four.

[Jamie Petras]

I'm Jamie Petras, music and culture writer. For the past five years, I've been talking to the band's three surviving members. They're out of prison now and in their 70s, their past behind them. But they also have some unfinished business.

[LeBron James]

The end of Daybreak, Eyes of Love was supposed to have been followed up by another app.

[Jamie Petras]

It's a story about the liberating power of music, the American justice system and ultimately, second chances. Listen to Soul incarcerated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Welcome back. Ryan Clark from the Pivot.

[LeBron James]

Told y'all I needed y'all to hear from somebody for a couple of minutes, right?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Well, guess what?

[LeBron James]

He weighed in on the incident. Now Ryan Clark does Monday Night Football for espn. Does first take, does get up. It's my brother, that's my dog. Love him to Death, you understand?

[Stephen A. Smith]

He disagrees with me from time to time, but it's rare.

[LeBron James]

That's my man. He has a son who played defensive back for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Listen to what Ryan Clark had to say today on the Pivot podcast about this very incident we're talking about. Listen up.

[Ryan Clark]

The first thing Jordan told me when he saw that, because we were together, he said, pop, I lose my shit. He said, if I did that, if someone was talking about him and I did what LeBron James did, he would lose it. He said, you got to let me be a man. And I've done that with Jordan in high school. I've done that with Jordan in college. And I'm not saying that he's where LeBron is, but LeBron did what he needed to do. But what about Bronny James? Think about what LeBron is saying, right? And I agree with this. LeBron. Bronny James for 55th overall pick. For a guy who's played well in the G League and been on the bench and got, you know, some minutes in the NBA, he is more negatively critiqued and analyzed than any player who would be picked in that position. That does the job the way that he does it.

[LeBron James]

It.

[Ryan Clark]

But he's also praised more. He's also been drafted in the place that his resume probably didn't say he should have been drafted in. He's also benefited in NIL when he only averaged four points a game. He has marketing and commercials and publicity and followings and get paid away from the court more than Mack McClung, who then led the G League in scoring and won the dunk contest three times. Because you're LeBron James, son. So what does it do to that narrative now? Right? How does LeBron running up on Stephen A. Help the narrative? It doesn't, because the narrative was he's there because of you. He was drafted in the place he wasn't supposed to be because of you. Now all of a sudden, we can't talk about him either. Now imagine if lavar Ball runs up on Stephen A. Imagine if T. Morant runs up on Stephen A. How classless we would say they are. How immature we would say, say they are. LeBron James is a father doing the same thing for a professional basketball player. And I get it. I 100% get it, man. Sometimes somebody does something and it's on site. Stephen A. Say, why you didn't call me? Mav got my number, right? He said, rich got my number because LeBron James saw him. And LeBron James wanted to make that point, he wanted to show the world. He wanted to show Stephen A. And he probably wanted to show Bronnie, bro, I got you, and I'll do it publicly. So everybody sees it. The problem is this. You ain't run up on Skip all them years he was talking about you. You ain't run up on everybody else all that time he was talking about you, and you gonna run up on everybody that says Bronny James didn't deserve to be drafted where he was drafted at. You gonna have to do a whole lot of damn fighting. LeBron James, more than any athlete I've ever seen, has shown a poise and composure when people are talking about him negatively like I've never seen. He's truly an example to every athlete in the world who's harshly critiqued to his son. But now what you've told your son is, even though I wasn't above reproach, even though no athlete that's ever played the game was above criticism, you are. And I showed you that by checking somebody because I felt like they talked about you. And that's, to me, where you got to separate father and you got to separate teammates. Because now, if I'm Bronny James, I know my dad loves me, right? But I hope, because LeBron James is a great dad, that he asked Bronnie, are you okay with this? Because this is going to reflect on you more than it's going to reflect on me.

[LeBron James]

Absolutely brilliant commentary by Ryan Clark. Let me encapsulate in my way what he was saying. It's a worse reflection on Bronnie LeBron rolling up on me like that potentially hurts Bronnie. I'm sure that wasn't his intent. But nevertheless, look at how people are talking about Ronnie now. They weren't talking about him over the last few weeks. So we got that going on. Then we got the other part going on that Ryan brought up. He didn't run up. Wouldn't run up on somebody like Skip, whatever. And I'm good with that. I want to make sure that folks understand something, and I will never forget it. Years ago, Mike Tyson was saying this, and he was doing it during an interview with ESPN's Jeremy Shap. And Jeremy Shap asked him, I don't. I don't recall the wording of the question, but he asked him essentially about how he might roll up on certain reporters or how he feels about them, particularly if they're black compared to white. And Mike Tyson said, nah, you are who you are. He said, it's just that with you pointing to the brother, he said, you should know better. And the reason that I bring that up is that one of the things that's almost never talked about is the expectations, particularly from reporters who are black, that, you know, we supposed to know better. Perhaps that's the case. But when do we get to do our jobs? When you look at today's modern athlete and they want to call folks sellouts, and this is the only reason I'm bringing up the racial element is because cats come at us and they like Stephen A or somebody else. Always on the brothers. I'm on the air two hours a day, 10 hours a week live. That's just for first take. It doesn't include SportsCenter. It doesn't include NBA Countdown. It doesn't include frequent appearances on Get Up. It doesn't include this podcast. It doesn't include the inordinate amount of appearances that I make throughout the year beyond the world of sports. You can make a legitimate case that I am on the air more than anyone in this country. You can make that argument. I can speak 95, 98% of the times positively. The crime is not that the 2 to 5% of the times I might speak negatively, that you have a problem with it.

[Stephen A. Smith]

It's that these folks today have been allowed to use that 2 to 5%.

[LeBron James]

Of the time to accuse me of hating and selling out my own to.

[Stephen A. Smith]

The point where it's supposed to be.

[LeBron James]

Difficult for me to do my job. I'm not going to let that happen. I'm not going to let that happen. I'm going to call it like I see it. There's going to be compassion involved, there's going to be tendencies of humanity involved. It's going to be all of that. But the one thing you can rest assured is I'm going to always do my job. And when it came to this particular incident with LeBron James, as I see him talking and talking and talking, the one thing that I asked Rich Paul for, give me grace on this one thing, Rich, if LeBron said to you, he is irate, he is pissed, he wants to see Stephen. A face to face, man to man. And you picked up the phone, Rich, and you called me and you said, LeBron James wants to see me, what would I have said? Rich Paul said, you would have hang. You would have hung up the phone and you would have been on the next flight to LA. That is exactly true. That is exactly true. But LeBron James didn't do that because he didn't want to, because we don't have a relationship. Because I'm not about calling it like he wants me to see it. I'm about calling it like I see it. That is the way that I have been, that is the way that I am, and that is the way that I'm always going to be. This. This image of him tiring over me and old Stephen A. Is shook or whatever, what was he going to do, ladies and gentlemen? Hit me while I'm standing courtside with the national cameras rolling? That wasn't going to happen. I was taken aback by this notion that I was, quote, unquote, shitting on his son. I did no such thing. I did no such thing. And I wouldn't, because I'm the one that's been on the record stating for years that brother, that young brother's got a uphill climb. Not just because he's LeBron James son, but because of the position LeBron James put him in by talking the way that he talked.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Nobody else other than lavar Ball was seen as a parent talking like that.

[LeBron James]

About their son's potential.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But Lonzo was at UCLA as a starting point guard who was projected to be a top five lottery pick that ended up going number two overall to the Los Angeles Lakers. There's a difference between that and what.

[LeBron James]

Bronnie James was walking into.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And it's one thing for the greatness of LeBron James to make it tough. It's another thing entirely for his talking.

[LeBron James]

About Bronnie James to make it tougher.

[Stephen A. Smith]

That's the only reason why I said, as a father, had he not said.

[LeBron James]

That or any of those things and.

[Stephen A. Smith]

His son just came into the league, I never would have said that. I said it because he said, as a dad, I want to play with.

[LeBron James]

My son in the NBA.

[Stephen A. Smith]

He said, I think my son is better than some of the most in.

[LeBron James]

The NBA right now.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And go back and watch the tapes, you'll see me saying, please don't do this. No, no, no, no, no. Before he ever arrived, I said, because.

[LeBron James]

They'Re going to hold on to these quotes, which they did. And in the end, all those people who were saying this stuff get to.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Walk inside and outside the crypto.com arena.

[LeBron James]

Whatever other arena LeBron James is in. I show up, and I'm the one that gets confronted for simply echoing what many, many people were saying. Not about Bronnie, about LeBron, but as the saying goes, I guess that's the price of being Stephen A. I accept it. I've paid it, and I'm gonna pay it again and again and again. Not just with LeBron James, but with anybody that comes down the pike. Be respectful, be humane, don't be disrespectful. Don't overstep lines. But within the confines of my job, call it like I see it and believe it is. That is what I get paid to do. That is what I will always do. And if that means in the process, LeBron and I never, ever, ever speak to one another again in life, I'm good with it. Totally. As I'm sure he is. Coming up, the Celtics vs. The Thunder for the title?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Or the Cavaliers vs. LeBron James and.

[LeBron James]

O Lakers in the NBA Finals.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Which matchup should fans want to see that?

[LeBron James]

And a couple of other options I got for you up next. But first, the Steelers traded for DK Metcalf. So now what are they going to do at the quarterback position to keep up with the rest of the AFC North?

[Stephen A. Smith]

We'll get into all of that next.

[LeBron James]

Right here on the Stephen A. Smith Show. Don't go away. Welcome back to Stephen A. Smith Show. Let's get into the NFL free agent signing period that began today. All right, well, a number of agreements for stars to remain with the teams over the weekend, some of them you can see right here. But I want to address three moves in particular that caught my attention.

[Stephen A. Smith]

We'll begin in Pittsburgh, where the Steelers traded for wide out DK Metcalf and.

[LeBron James]

Agreed to a 5 year, $150 million extension. Metcalf will presumably be paired with fellow wideout George Pickens, who's eligible for an extension this offseason as he enters the last year of his rookie deal. Now, the question is, who will be throwing them the football? Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers? Both could be viable options for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I would tell you, if you got to choose between the two, ladies and gentlemen, you choose Russell Wilson. I'm not saying he's better than Aaron Rodgers, because I still think Aaron Rodgers, even though he's not that bad man that he used to be, the brother threw 28 touchdowns, just 11 interceptions passed for nearly 4,000 yards with the New York jets last year. Yes, they did lose six games, six fourth quarter leads, no doubt about that. Seven one score games. No doubt about that.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Aaron Rodgers can ball.

[LeBron James]

I understand who he is, what he brings to the table. Here's the flip side. Russell Wilson played a few years with DK Metcalf. There's a familiarity there from their days in Seattle, and because of that, I think that goes a Long way towards the Pittsburgh Steelers deciding to keep Russell Wilson in tow. Now, he's going to cost a pretty penny and that's where it could be a bit problematic because he's going to want his money. So his market value could be anywhere from 37 to 40 million for all we know, if not more. And I don't know if the Steelers should pay that. But you know what, what choice do you have? I mean, if, if, if it's really about the money, then you go get Aaron Rodgers.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But if the money is not an.

[LeBron James]

Issue, then you keep Russell Wilson. Because DK Metcalf and Russell Wilson have a history with it with one another right now. Let's get to Buffalo, where Josh Allen got paid again. The Bills and Allen agreed to a six year, 330 million dollar extension for the reigning league MVP. The deal includes 250 million dollars guaranteed to Allen, making it the largest guaranteed total ever given to an NFL player, surpassing the 230 million of Browns guaranteed to quarterback dual Sean Watson a few years ago. The extension takes allen from the 14th highest average quarterback salary to tied for second at $55 million a year.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Only Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has.

[LeBron James]

The highest average annual salary at $60 million a year.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Which is all you need to know.

[LeBron James]

To justify Joe Josh Allen's money.

[Stephen A. Smith]

How the hell is Dak Prescott getting paid more than him? How the hell is Dak Prescott still the highest paid quarterback in football in terms of league average per year? Because remember, five, six years, 330 million. That's an average of 55 million a year. Same as Trevor Lawrence, same as Joe Burrow.

[LeBron James]

Okay?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Same as.

[LeBron James]

Same as those guys along with Jordan Love.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But if you are Dak Prescott, you're at $60 million. The Dallas Cowboys, with two player victories in 10 years, is paying his brother $60 million annually. Largest salary in the NFL. But here's what I do.

[LeBron James]

Like Josh Allen.

[Stephen A. Smith]

250 million guarantee you the league MVP. You've been to a couple of AFC championship games.

[LeBron James]

Guess what? You deserve that kind of paper, okay?

[Stephen A. Smith]

It's the highest in the league. Shouldn't be Dak Prescott's 231 million guarantee. I know Dak Prescott can play.

[LeBron James]

I know he's no scrub.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm not saying the brother doesn't get.

[LeBron James]

To deserve to get paid.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm saying somebody who has achieved so little in the postseason shouldn't have more.

[LeBron James]

A higher annual salary or more a.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Guaranteed dollars than anybody else. So the fact that Josh Allen has.

[LeBron James]

Now eclipsed him, I'm happy About that. I'm happy about that. Let me move on to Cleveland because this is where things get a bit hilarious. Because listen, when you think about Cleveland and what has happened between them and Miles Garrett. Miles Garrett and the Browns, that is after the team made him the highest paid non quarterback in the league. Let me tell you this, y'all.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You might recall that Garrett wanted out.

[LeBron James]

Of Cleveland last month by saying, quote. I had to say this show to y'all this quarter. I had to show y'all this quote. While I've loved calling Cleveland my home.

[Stephen A. Smith]

My desire to win and compete on.

[LeBron James]

The biggest stages won't allow me to be complacent. The goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton. It has always been to compete for and win a Super bowl. End quell. End quote.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Guess what, ladies and gentlemen, that came to an end on Sunday when the Browns gave him a record four year extension. 423 and a half million dollars. The deal averages $40 million a year and includes a no trade clause. By the way, Garrett previously mentioned that he did not want to endure another rebuild with the Browns, who are coming off a 3 and 14 season and hold the number two overall pick in this year's draft. Now my man Dan Olofsky on ESPN pointed out, look, they either got a quarterback coming in or they're going to use the number two pick or somebody.

[LeBron James]

Like Shador Sanders or Cam Ward.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So the future is bright either way you slice it. If you had gone out and got.

[LeBron James]

Sam Donald, that ain't the answer.

[Stephen A. Smith]

If you had brought in an agent, Aaron, Aaron Rodgers, that ain't the answer. If you draft Shador Sanders or Cam Ward, that's not the immediate answer. Which makes Miles Garrett position kind of phony. Now, I ain't hating on the brother.

[LeBron James]

He deserves every penny. He deserves every penny. The brother's no joke.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Double digit sacks every year since 2018. Only two playoff appearances and one player.

[LeBron James]

Victory in eight seasons. I get that part. But he's an absolute stud.

[Stephen A. Smith]

He's arguably the best defensive player in football. The brother is sensational.

[LeBron James]

There's no because he's a mammoth of a man.

[Stephen A. Smith]

No, no shade on him whatsoever. I'm just throwing shade on this quote about, I didn't come to the NFL.

[LeBron James]

To get to Canton. I came to compete for and win the Super Bowl. Can't do that with two playoff appearances in eight years.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Do y'all know that the Cleveland Browns have never played in the Super Bowl?

[LeBron James]

Do you know they haven't been in an AFC championship game since 1989 ain't.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Been in the AFC championship game in 36 years. It's 1989.

[LeBron James]

That's 36 years ago.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And this brother is talking about.

[LeBron James]

It's not about Canton. It's about compete for and playing in the Super Bowl. But you resign.

[Stephen A. Smith]

See what money does to people. See what money does.

[LeBron James]

It makes the most excruciating situations seem easier to stomach. And in the case of Miles Garrett, that's a big stomach he'll need to have. He's got a lot of money to spend on food. You feel me? Way to go, bro. I ain't mad at you. Get your paper. Just say so next time instead of the whole song and dance pocket people, right? Thank you.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Coming up, the Thunder are rolling in.

[LeBron James]

The Western Conference and the Cavaliers are running away in the East.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But which matchup would you want to.

[LeBron James]

See in the NBA Finals? We'll get into all of that, me and my nephew Josh. He's coming in the house. Can't wait to hear what he has to say. By the way, I know Sam Donald went to Seattle. I know Justin Fields went to the Jets. I don't care. That's why I didn't talk about that. But I care about my NBA basketball, especially since my nephew Josh is in the house. Hopefully he won't get on my damn nerves. Back with him to close out the show in a minute. What's up, everybody? Stephen A. Smith here. Recently we made news because the great Bill O'Reilly announced a tour that's coming nearest you in the very, very near future. Get your tickets now for this. It's called Three Americans Live March 30th at Live Nation's Flagstar at the Westbury Music Fair on Long Island. Don't miss the very first show as myself, Chris Cuomo and yes, that man Bill O'Reilly take our different ideas, our different backgrounds, our different beliefs across the country to demonstrate that respectful, meaningful and even fun conversation. Those are the things that make America as great as it should be. The show will be spirited, unscripted, and all three of us will let it fly as we discuss the the topics everyone is thinking about these days. There'll also be questions from the audience. We're not running. Tickets are officially on sale now with Pre sale code [e-mail] VIP packages are available with the opportunity to meet and take photos with myself and both those fellas. That's three Americans live March 30th at the Westbury Music Fair on Long Island. Additional dates and cities to be announced don't miss it. Trust me, you'll get a kick out of it. Welcome back to the Stephen A. Smith Show.

[Stephen A. Smith]

The NBA playoffs get underway next month.

[LeBron James]

And I want to look ahead to the finals. Okay, but before I do that, if you listen to him, he'll tell you the world has been calling for him. The world has missed him. Everybody's got to see him. Nephew Josh is in the house, ladies and gentlemen.

[Stephen A. Smith]

What's up, man?

[LeBron James]

How you doing, bro? What's going on?

[I]

I'm great. Friday I had a bad day. I mean, I got fired. I got fired on Friday.

[LeBron James]

You got fired?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Yeah.

[LeBron James]

What do you mean you got fired?

[I]

Well, I went to work.

[LeBron James]

What'd you do?

[I]

I went to work. I was drinking on a job celebrating my. My contract and how much you get? 5 years, 50 million? Was it 5 years, 50 million? Because I know you don't think the whole hundred million is yours.

[LeBron James]

First of all, only a fool discusses their money.

[I]

Oh, it's out.

[LeBron James]

Secondly, it ain't nearly as. It ain't as much as the reports say. Number two, here's my question. Here's my question. No, you don't have half. What the hell? You ain't my wife. I ain't married to you. We ain't getting divorced. You ain't getting half. Who the hell told you that?

[Stephen A. Smith]

That's number one.

[I]

I'm not your wife. You meet your wife when you're an adult. We've been together since I'm sandbox over here. Now what was you saying?

[LeBron James]

What the hell kind of hat you have on? Don't ask me for nothing.

[I]

Oh, no, I got.

[Stephen A. Smith]

What do you have? What do you have for people to.

[LeBron James]

Ask you for anything?

[Stephen A. Smith]

What do you have?

[I]

First of all, Friday, your nephew Jace came and woke me up talking about we rich. I'm like, we. I know, me and your uncle rich, but why you saying that? He the one that let me know that we signed the contract. Crazy. I found out from a 12 year old.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So let me ask you. So let me ask you this question.

[LeBron James]

Because I'm curious, bro.

[Stephen A. Smith]

How is it that you're my nephew?

[LeBron James]

I want you to explain this logic to me.

[Stephen A. Smith]

How is it that you're my nephew and you think because I have a.

[LeBron James]

Little something, you automatically have something, but.

[Stephen A. Smith]

When it comes to your own son, you saying what you talking about, you don't have. So in other words, your uncle has an obligation to you, but you don't have an obligation to your own son? Explain that logic.

[I]

Cause my son spends most of his time with his mother. I be with you, making sure you right. You see me, I got here today on time. You always say, when I'm late, let the world know I was early today.

[LeBron James]

You on time? You on time for a change. I give that to you. But back to my point, he's still your son.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I mean, and when you're not with them, it's supposedly because you're working, right?

[LeBron James]

So since you out there working, because you do know you're supposed to be responsible and take care of your responsibilities.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Since you out there working, that's your son. Therefore, you have more of an obligation to him than I do to you.

[I]

Griff, cut to the pictures. Because I don't think he's understanding where I'm coming from. I've been around since day one. Look at me. That's me last time I graduated, by the way. But it don't matter. That's us. That's when you had a little hair. It was a little forward. Look, don't nobody got these pics but me. Show them another one. Let me see. Smooth, Stephen. A look at Steve Nas hairline. Look, I'm raising your value. They don't know you got this type of stuff, all white, slick. I was there for that.

[LeBron James]

I'm gonna kill you.

[Ryan Clark]

Don't kill me.

[I]

I'm going to kill you.

[LeBron James]

You're gonna.

[I]

They don't have nothing but bad pictures.

[LeBron James]

Of you at that barbecue.

[I]

You back now?

[LeBron James]

I. You understand what I'm going to do to.

[I]

Oh, look at Stevie. You're a human being. People don't think you got kid pictures. I'm here now, and you go to Gill's arena and stuff like that. They need to know you was a kid at one point. People don't think you're a human being pushing 60.

[Stephen A. Smith]

They don't think I'm a human being.

[LeBron James]

Because I got a little nephew that's talking about robbing me all the damn time, taking half my stuff like he's my wife. You understand that?

[Stephen A. Smith]

That's what I'm.

[LeBron James]

That's what I. That's the problem that I have more.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So than anything like that.

[LeBron James]

I can't believe you found those damn pictures. I'm going to kill you.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I swear to you.

[LeBron James]

When I get back home, you're gonna disappear. The world is gonna be acting. Where is nephew Josh?

[Stephen A. Smith]

You gonna be.

[LeBron James]

Are you gonna be buried someplace when I get through with your ass? Oh, I'm gonna get you.

[I]

There's a lot more picks in the cut, and they're gonna get released if I go Missing. I watch power and I set my scene.

[Jamie Petras]

Scene.

[I]

So what we talking about today? I got my notes and.

[LeBron James]

You set your scene. You set your scene. You set your scene.

[Stephen A. Smith]

By the way, as an aside before we get into the finals. Yo, bro, I was watching. I was watching Raising Canaan season premiere Friday night. Yeah, I like. I mean, I, I, I, I'm, I'm for it. I'm, I'm for it. I'm telling you that right now. I like what I see. Do you like that?

[I]

Yeah. Raising Canaan is probably my second favorite after a regular power.

[LeBron James]

That.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Raise it.

[LeBron James]

All right, so we got something in common.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But see, I like regular power and.

[LeBron James]

Then I like Ghost with Tyreek. Right. That, that force with Tommy is good too.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You know, I personally think they should be. And I've been telling them this. I personally think they should come out.

[LeBron James]

With a political show with Lorenz Tate.

[Stephen A. Smith]

As the star of the show, is the bad guy.

[LeBron James]

Because I think him in power doing his thing. I think he's phenomenal, and I think.

[Stephen A. Smith]

That he should have his own series. What do you think about that?

[I]

I thought that. I thought so, too, ahead of the Force. I didn't really. Tommy. Tommy's good, but I need Tommy with somebody else. Lawrence Tate is, is an A1 actor and now to definitely work.

[LeBron James]

Okay.

[I]

Definitely.

[LeBron James]

So you need him with someone else. I like those brothers he's with, though. I, I like those brothers. But, but let me tell you this, though. The, the. Yeah, yeah. That, that, that Latina, he's got Tommy and enforce that. She's not nice. She's nice. She's nice. I got, I gotta give credit where credit's done.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Let me move on. Let me move on.

[LeBron James]

Let me move on.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I got some NBA stuff that I, I was thinking about this over the.

[LeBron James]

Weekend and I said, let me ask Josh about this, because I know he watches basketball a little bit. I gotta ask this question.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm giving you four options, right?

[LeBron James]

Right. You can take ratings, you could take basketball.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So we gonna categorize them as the best basketball matchup and the best ratings matchup.

[LeBron James]

Right.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You can put them in any categories you want.

[LeBron James]

Lakers vs. Boston Finals, Lakers vs. Cleveland.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Finals, Boston vs. OKC, or Cleveland vs. OKC. Give me one through four, your best, your favorite to your least favorite.

[I]

Well, number one would be Boston okc. And I'm going to tell you why I want to see Jayson Tatum kind of dominate the playoffs all over again because of how he was treated in the Olympics. And I also want to see the player, the forward on Serbia that had outmatched him so bad that he couldn't play one second in the Olympic game. I think that he's on a path to destruction as far as the league, and he's being disrespected all year. Y'all even have segments of how and why he's disrespected. It's time for him to come out and show that he could be the face.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So you're saying the number one finals.

[LeBron James]

Matchup you want to see is Boston versus okc?

[I]

Yeah.

[LeBron James]

Okay.

[Stephen A. Smith]

What's number two?

[I]

Number two is not anybody that, that, that you had in there. Because I feel like you're forgetting about Steph Curry. Why isn't he? Why isn't he?

[LeBron James]

Yeah, I don't think. I, I, I don't, I don't think.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I don't think Golden State going to the finals.

[I]

You don't think so now?

[Stephen A. Smith]

No, I don't think they got the Horses.

[I]

Okay, well, Steph Curry. Curry has gotten Harrison Bonds a championship as a small forward. Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant's Kevin Durant. But Andrew Wiggins champion. And now he got Jimmy Butler. I done seen Jimmy Butler go with Tyler Herroux and Kyle Lowry. Now he got Steph Curry. You don't think they're gonna put a run together?

[Stephen A. Smith]

No, I don't think. I'm not saying they're not gonna put a run together.

[LeBron James]

I'm saying that I don't think it's gonna get them to the finals.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Who you got next after that?

[I]

Cleveland and the Lakers. We all know why storyline stuff. You know what I'm saying?

[LeBron James]

LeBron returning to Cleveland.

[I]

LeBron returning to Cleveland.

[LeBron James]

Okay.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And what you got is for.

[I]

For OKC and against Donovan Mitchell and them. I would like to see Shay against Donovan Mitchell. That'd be. That's must see tv. That's a must see matchup.

[LeBron James]

Okay, Let me tell you why.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm gonna give you my order right now, right?

[LeBron James]

I'm gonna tell you why.

[Stephen A. Smith]

First of all, when you think about.

[LeBron James]

OKC versus cle, the best game of the regular season this year thus far, when OKC went to Cleveland and Cleveland beat it was the best game of the season. That was a thriller, right? But I would tell you what I want right now.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Cleveland versus LA.

[LeBron James]

LeBron returning to Cleveland to try to knock them off and prevent them from.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Capturing the championship, I think that would be huge ratings.

[LeBron James]

All right? So I would want that. That's number one.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm gonna go with Boston.

[LeBron James]

La number two, because that's Just. I mean, that's just epic, yo. That's just epic. That's what. See, that's you not knowing your history. 18 championships for Boston, 17 for the Los Angeles Lakers. The two of them combined have captured 35 championships.

[Stephen A. Smith]

That's 45 of the 78 championships that.

[LeBron James]

Have been won in NBA history. So you don't know this stuff, you young whipper snapper. This is why I'm here for you. Okay?

[Stephen A. Smith]

So that would be number two on the list.

[LeBron James]

Number three on the list.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Number three on the list would be OKC versus Cleveland.

[LeBron James]

Because of what we saw during the regular season. All right. And last would be OKC versus Boston.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But I think those last two will both be. That would be the last of the four.

[LeBron James]

That'd be the last of the four. That's where I'm coming from with it.

[I]

You got the Lakers at the top of your list twice. Yeah.

[LeBron James]

Say. What do you mean, top of my list?

[I]

You would rather see the Lakers in the Finals? You just mentioned that two. Two times, right?

[LeBron James]

Josh, Josh, Josh, Josh, Josh. Where do I want to be in June?

[I]

Where did you.

[LeBron James]

What? Where do I want to be in June?

[I]

In la. We all know that.

[LeBron James]

Why.

[I]

Why are you basing. What. We got to watch off where you want to be? We got 100 million. We could go to La.

[LeBron James]

Asa. We don't. We don't. We don't have that. We don't have that. And. And. And the bottom line is that we got to go where the action is. So the point is, wherever the games are is where I have to be. At least this year. Now, next year, you know what I'm saying? I may not be on the NBA like that. Because, you know, we got Chuck and Shaq and them coming to ESPN and stuff like that, so I ain't got to go to the Finals like that. So I don't have to be there. Like that. Don't bother me, you know, saying, they want me, they want me there. They don't. They don't. I'm good.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But I'm just telling you this right now.

[LeBron James]

I gotta be there this year. Cause I'm covering the finals for abc, so of course I'm gonna think about my life, man. I don't. If I don't have to travel to Oklahoma City, why would I want to do that? Why do I want to do that?

[Stephen A. Smith]

I ain't even no direct flights there.

[I]

Well, since you put it, I might.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Have to fly into Dallas and drive three hours.

[I]

Since you put it that way. I want to see the Lakers in the. In the. In the finals too, because we will be there.

[LeBron James]

We going. You coming to the finals?

[Ryan Clark]

Yeah.

[LeBron James]

So why don't you tell the audience? It doesn't happen unless I give you permission to go because you are the nephew and I am the uncle. Why don't you tell the audience that?

[I]

Oh, no, I got genie bus on Instagram and now my. My. I got a blue check. So I be DMing celebrities and stuff like that, and they be answering. So you in trouble.

[LeBron James]

You know what? I would slap you upside your head for lying and playing around if I didn't run into a couple of celebrities here in LA just the other day that said you had spoken to them. Yeah, you have been speaking to them.

[I]

I know.

[LeBron James]

What's wrong with you.

[I]

On March 19, I bought a whole roll at Glorilla's concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom with the company card. So when you see it on the invoice, don't text me about it. I told you ahead of time you could come, too. It's eight tickets.

[LeBron James]

I'm gonna. I'm gonna fire your ass you keep trying to spend my money. I'm telling you that right now.

[I]

Can't un Nephew me. Spawn the Gill's Arena.

[LeBron James]

That's it for this edition of Stephen A. Smith Show.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Go ahead, say the last word. Hurry up.

[I]

I have one more thing to touch on. So you're not gonna bring me with you on Gill's arena, but I do want them to know they were all basketball players. So when they was on a interview to be drafted by a team, that energy that they had during the interview when you dropped the street and you 100% corporate because you're trying to get somebody's money, that's what you do. You do it all the time. You do it 24 7. You live like you're on an interview. So when they call you, whatever they call you when they question your blackness and stuff like that, I'm here to bring it back. Because if you have any question, as you can see, I'm as black as they come and as black as it gets. We from the same house. And if anybody has a, you know, a problem with you, they have a problem with me.

[Stephen A. Smith]

My little nephew.

[LeBron James]

Coming.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Hold on a second here. Did I just hear my little nephew try to speak up?

[I]

I was gonna grab some tissue, but it ain't nothing but money stacks here, but I ain't gonna. I'm not gonna expose us like that. You got a cup?

[LeBron James]

Then I gotta go. Goodbye, y'all. Goodbye, y'all. That's it for this edition of Stephen A. Smith Show. Talk to y'all in a couple of days.

[Greg Rosenthal]

What's up, everyone? It's Greg Rosenthal, and I'm teaming up with the King of Spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're going to be bringing you 40s and free agents, the only podcast you'll need this NFL draft season. From DJs mock drafts to my top 101 free agents, we'll have it covered for you with all new episodes every Thursday keeping you up to date as we head to the NFL Draft. Listen to 40s and free agents starting on March 6th on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Julie Swearbinks]

What's up everyone? Julie Swearbinks here, along with former NHL player Nate Thompson.

[Nate Thompson]

We're doing a new podcast together. Here we go.

[Julie Swearbinks]

The name Energy Line with Nate and jsb.

[Nate Thompson]

Each week we'll get together and talk about hockey life. All topics are fair game, right?

[Julie Swearbinks]

Exactly. And you'll never know who will drop by to join us.

[Nate Thompson]

Julie is pretty well connected. She has text threads going that you wouldn't believe.

[Julie Swearbinks]

Listen to Energy Line with Nate and jsb on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.