Stephen A's Take: Lebron James slams negativity in NBA Coverage.

Summary

The Stephen A. Smith Show: LeBron James Slams Negativity in NBA Coverage

Episode Title: Stephen A's Take: Lebron James Slams Negativity in NBA Coverage
Release Date: March 2, 2025
Hosts: Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman
Platform: iHeartPodcasts

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1. Introduction to LeBron James's Criticism

The episode kicks off with Stephen A. Smith addressing recent headlines surrounding LeBron James following the Los Angeles Lakers' victory over the Tumblewolves, where LeBron notably scored 33 points and grabbed 17 rebounds (01:06). However, the focus swiftly shifts from LeBron's on-court performance to his post-game comments about Anthony Edwards and the broader conversation on Edwards potentially becoming the face of the NBA.

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2. LeBron's Comments on NBA Media Coverage

LeBron James made waves by criticizing the negativity in NBA coverage, particularly targeting those who claim Edwards should be the league's face. He stated, “Why do you want to be the face of a league when all the people that you know that cover our game … that responsibility, that's just weird. It's weird energy” (01:36). This remark prompted a robust response from Stephen A., who vehemently disagrees with LeBron's stance.

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3. Stephen A. Smith's Response

Stephen A. Smith vehemently counters LeBron's assertions, labeling them as "straight bullshit" (01:50). He expresses frustration over critiques aimed at the NBA, such as debates over LeBron’s status as the GOAT, issues like load management, and the absence of LeBron in All-Star weekend events like the slam dunk contest. Smith emphasizes his long-standing relationship with the NBA and condemns LeBron for seemingly blaming the media for broader issues within the league.

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4. Critique of Media vs. Social Media

A significant portion of the discussion centers around the distinction between traditional media and social media. Smith argues that LeBron's criticism conflates the two, stating, “Social media ain't in the locker room. Social media doesn't ignore your personal life” (04:00). He underscores that traditional media outlets, which include former players and league officials, maintain a professional relationship with the NBA, unlike the often sensationalist nature of social media platforms.

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5. Celebrating NBA Legends and Media Bias

The conversation shifts to the recognition of NBA legends, with Smith pointing out inconsistencies in how different figures are celebrated or criticized. Highlighting figures like Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal, he questions why certain players receive accolades while others, like Anthony Davis, face undue criticism. Smith asserts, “How come we don't bring that up. How come we don't talk about those things?” (05:27), illustrating his frustration with perceived media biases.

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6. Broader Societal Issues and Comparisons

Max Kellerman joins the discussion, expanding the conversation to societal issues and historical figures. Smith draws parallels between contemporary media treatment of athletes and past controversies involving figures like Muhammad Ali and O.J. Simpson. He reflects on how societal perceptions shift, stating, “Sometimes we ignore certain things. We love others” (08:27), highlighting the complexity of public opinion and media influence.

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7. Player Movement and NBA Business Dynamics

The dialogue also delves into player movement and the business side of the NBA. Smith reminisces about LeBron’s decision to join the Lakers, pointing out the repercussions of such moves on player autonomy and league economics. He recalls predicting the fallout from LeBron’s actions, including the conflict with owner Dan Gilbert over team trades, emphasizing the interconnectedness of player decisions and organizational responses.

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8. Final Thoughts on LeBron and the NBA's Future

Concluding the episode, Stephen A. Smith addresses the future of the NBA, particularly focusing on LeBron's legacy and his son, Bronny James. Smith expresses hope for Bronny's potential NBA career, acknowledging his talents despite initial criticisms about his performance. He asserts, “Bronny James is somebody that I hope will make the NBA and I believe will make the NBA someday” (14:10), demonstrating his belief in the next generation's ability to uphold and elevate the league's standards.

Smith wraps up by reiterating his stance that the negativity LeBron perceives is more reflective of certain segments of social media rather than the established media outlets. He emphasizes the importance of players protecting their brands and maintaining professionalism to sustain their success and the league's integrity.

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Notable Quotes:

• LeBron James: “Why do you want to be the face of a league when all the people that you know that cover our game … that responsibility, that's just weird. It's weird energy.” (01:36)

• Stephen A. Smith: “Ladies and gentlemen, excuse my language. That's some straight bullshit by LeBron James.” (01:50)

• Stephen A. Smith: “Social media ain't in the locker room. Social media doesn't ignore your personal life.” (04:00)

• Stephen A. Smith: “Bronny James is somebody that I hope will make the NBA and I believe will make the NBA someday.” (14:10)

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This episode of "The Stephen A. Smith Show" offers a passionate discourse on the interplay between NBA players, media portrayals, and the overarching narratives that shape public perception. Stephen A. Smith defends the league and its traditional media coverage while critiquing LeBron James's recent statements, providing listeners with a thorough analysis of the current state of NBA discourse.

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 JSP on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Stephen A. Smith]

It's time to get into LeBron James, who made headlines after the Lakers game on Thursday night. Their victory over the Tumblewolves 111 to 102 at home. LeBron led the way with 33 points, 17 rebounds. Meanwhile, Anthony Edwards was ejected for getting his 16th technical foul and missed most of the second half, by the way. But that's not why I want to talk about LeBron. I want to get into what LeBron had to say about Anthony Edwards post game and the conversation surrounding Edwards becoming the face of the NBA. Take a listen to this, please.

[Nate Thompson]

Why do you want to be the face of a league when all. All the. All the people that you know that cover our game and talk about our game on a day to day basis on everybody, that responsibility, that's just weird. It's weird energy.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Ladies and gentlemen, excuse my language. That's some straight bullshit by LeBron James. Straight bullshit. I'm getting sick and tired of folks talking about everybody who covers the league shitting on the league. How do we shit on the league? Because some of US don't call LeBron James the goat. Because we bring up load management. Because people come to games sometimes and cats are sitting out and fans don't even know until they arrive at the arena that the cats are sitting out. Is it because all Star weekends arrives and folks don't learn that LeBron James is playing until is not playing. Rather until the last minute. Is it because he's never participated in the slam dunk contest, thereby ruining it because he's the first marquee name with slam dunking ability like that to refuse to participate in an all star slam dunk contest ever in his career. The way Jordan did, Dominique did, Dr. J did, David Thompson did, Harold Miner did, Jason Richardson did, Tracy McGrady did, Vince Carter did, Kobe did, Zach Levine did, Aaron Gordon did, Nate Robinson did, Spud Webb did, the way all of these people did, he elected. That's how we're on the leak. See, this is the kind of stuff that pisses people like myself off. I've covered the NBA for 30 years. I'm successful in life because of the NBA and what it's done for my life. So is LeBron. So are thousands upon thousands of players that have come through the league. Just recently the league signed an 11 year, 77 billion dollar deal. Well, how'd that come about? Sponsors and advertisers, that's how. Yet somehow, some way we gonna sit up there and say you shouldn't want to be the face of the league because folks are shitting on the league. Well, who are these folks? Let me tell you who it is. It's everybody in social media. But you see where the problem is and why I think LeBron's comments was bullshit was because he doesn't specify who he's talking about. So folks on social media who do all of this salacious nonsense get lumped in with the rest of the media and nobody differentiates from the other. Social media ain't in the locker room. Social media doesn't ignore your personal life. Social media doesn't ignore your personal business. Social media doesn't have the class and the decorum to avoid touching on those different things because it has nothing to do with the game of basketball. That's the media. People like myself and various others. Now to be clear and to put myself on front street, y'all do understand I'm under no obligation to talk about the NBA as much as I do, But I do. The league is happy with it. The network is happy with it. The fans are happy with it. Most other places don't. When you talk about folks who are covering your sport, did you know that.

[Max Kellerman]

That would happen to be some former.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Players because they were part of the show and they were part of the ESPN network and various other networks. Former players preside over there. Current players come there, coaches as well.

[Max Kellerman]

League officials as well.

[Stephen A. Smith]

How come we don't Bring that up. How come we don't talk about those things?

[Max Kellerman]

You see what has happened and what has transpired and what's sickening. Let me tell you the most egregious shit of it all that nobody brings up.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Barkley. Charles Barkley, all time 75th anniversary player, hall of Famer, one of the greatest players in NBA history. Yeah. Cats clapping at him. You've had some cats try to clap back at Shaq. Four time champion, arguably the most dominant force ever. Clearly the most dominant force of our lifetime. Decided Will Chamberlain try to talk about him. They talk about we don't celebrate the game enough. Really? What's your definition of celebration? Last time I checked, is talking about the game. We gotta pedal you with roses when you shoot 2 for 20.

[Max Kellerman]

Or when somebody drops 50 on you, or when you lose games and playoff series that you're supposed to win. And here's the crime. Here's the crime. You know what else happens? LeBron James can have a bad game against KD or KD can have a bad game against. Against Steph Curry, or Steph Curry can have a bad game against Jalen Brunson or somebody. Oh, these dudes, they always down on the brothers. Well, who the hell were you playing against? Wasn't that a brother? You're covering the game. You're talking about competition. And if you're talking about the sport, how is that downing another black person? If Lamont Roach steps into the boxing ring and gets knocked the hell out by Javante Davis, and I said he got knocked the hell out by Javante Davis. Is that me down in the brother? How come it can't be me acknowledging what Tank Davis did? What are we talking about here?

[Stephen A. Smith]

The greatest of all time is Muhammad Ali. He's my idol. I know and adore and love his daughter Layla. She's been friends with me for years. He also called Joe Frazier a gorilla. Said he was too ugly to be champion.

[Max Kellerman]

During the immediate aftermath of the civil rights movement.

[Stephen A. Smith]

If we want to get real, after.

[Max Kellerman]

Joe Frazier had extended a helping hand to help him when he was banned.

[Stephen A. Smith]

From boxing and denied the license to fight.

[Max Kellerman]

America revered him.

[Stephen A. Smith]

As well you should.

[Max Kellerman]

But I'm just talking about how backwards we can be.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Sometimes we ignore certain things. We love others.

[Max Kellerman]

I remember when cats were getting at me because I said O.J.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Simpson.

[Max Kellerman]

Didn'T deserve to be acknowledged the way that he was during some awards event. And you had cats coming after me.

[Stephen A. Smith]

As if I was the one that was on trial for my life for committing double murder.

[Max Kellerman]

Time and Time and time again, the most salacious, the most ridiculous, the most egregious acts associated with human beings. And I'm certainly not comparing Muhammad Ali to O.J.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Simpson or anything like that. Please don't get me wrong.

[Max Kellerman]

I'm simply making the point that it's.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Amazing what we support and what we denigrate.

[Max Kellerman]

LeBron James, to me, is the second.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Greatest player in the history of basketball. You have people out there acting like I've hated on him because I have him as number two all time. And he co signs with it.

[Max Kellerman]

Anthony Davis doesn't want to be the face of the league and other players.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Don'T want to be responsible. And he co signs with that notice. He did all of this after he got his money. Ron's worth a billion dollars. He got his money. So now we want to take those positions.

[Max Kellerman]

Now we want to encourage people to.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Have a kind of mentality that sifts.

[Max Kellerman]

Through the industry like a virus. So you could look down upon and be dismissive of and dare I say, hate on pundits and others because you may not like what they're saying and you're encouraging them to do it now, knowing it ain't gonna work for them down the line.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But you don't care because you got yours. And one player after another falls for it. Hook, line of sinker. Remember when LeBron was in the bubble, he said, I got mine. Y'all don't have to side with me if y'all don't want to. I don't need this. I don't need it. I'm cool. Remember that? Remember when I told y'all when he took his talents to south beach and he didn't let the owner know and he had to find out. Dan Gilbert had to find out national television like everybody else, that players were going to come back and pay a price for that because there was a collective bargaining agreement coming down the pike and at least 7% of basketball related income equating to about $2 billion was going to be snatched away from them. Remember when I said that? Remember when I talked about player movement a lot? Chris Paul going to the Los Angeles Lakers and Dan Gilbert, who had nothing to do with it, writing an open letter to the owners and making public to speak out against a trade such as this? It wasn't just that Dan Gilbert was against player movement, is that Chris Paul and LeBron James is pretty tight godfathers to one another's children, if I remember correctly. And that was a shot that Dan Gilbert took. Remember that? Remember when the Whole George Floyd thing was going on after he had been murdered by Derek Chauvin, that police officer in Minnesota. And everybody was talking about locking arms. And I was ignored when I said bump. Just locking arms. You got the monetary cachet to have your own lobbyists to go up on Capitol Hill and persuade lawmakers to sign things into law to make things easier and to provoke real change. And I was ignored. I said all of these things, one thing after another, ignored. But we want to sit here and. Because people might have questions or point out things that they don't, like when 99% of the time all we're doing is revering the greatness of LeBron James and how we're going to miss him when he's gone. And all he can remember is folks shitting on the NBA. Who shits on the NBA more than some of these players? It ain't the media doing that. It's the players not protecting their own brand that has made them wealthy beyond their wildest imaginations. That's what's going on. And back to LeBron in this regard. Bronny James is somebody that I hope will make the NBA and I believe will make the NBA someday. He's a good kid and by all accounts, everybody loves him and everybody's rooting for him and hopes that he makes it. And I personally believe he will. I think he will because he's a fast learning and he's a talent. And we saw what he's been doing in the G League. Ladies and gentlemen, the opening game of the season. Bronny James wasn't an NBA caliber player. We all knew that. And we all knew the only reason he was on the roster was because his father is LeBron James. Everyone stood back and paid homage and said, it's the least we could do for LeBron James. He deserves that. And we celebrated it, although we knew it wasn't based on merit. Everyone went along with it. The league went along with it. The Lakers went along with it. The media went along with it.

[Max Kellerman]

Everybody.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Did LeBron James mention that? Did he? We're the bad guys. And by the way, you're listening to somebody that covered a league at a time when all their personal shit was out there. We didn't touch it and neither does today's media. Social media might, but not us. As long as you ain't in the police blotters, that's your business. Now the players got podcast and they talk shit about people, but the folks covering the league is the one shitting on the league. And sadly, some of y'all gonna fall for that bullshit that LeBron threw out there, pointing the finger in every other direction but that of himself and his brethren. I'm so surprised. I'm so sur Foreign.

[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 four 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.