Lakers Take LeBron James For Granted, Says Stephen A. Smith: “They Don’t Particularly Like Him”

Every day that passes, conversations surrounding LeBron James and his potential exit from the Los Angeles Lakers continue to become the most important topic.

After all, even at age 41, the superstar draws more interest than any other athlete in the country. Love him or loathe him, fans want to know the latest information and opinions about the King.

This sort of media coverage has been consistent throughout his career, but now that he is nearing the end, everyone is trying to make the most of it.

The situation at the Los Angeles-based franchise took a turn for the worse when Jeanie Buss‘ alleged dissent towards James first became public.

Now, after he surprised everyone with a stellar series of performances for the Lakers in the two playoff series, many are wondering whether the franchise was wrong to pivot away from the league’s all-time leading scorer.

Have the Lakers taken LeBron James for granted? Sure. They don’t particularly like him. That’s what this is about. They’ll never admit that.

Stephen A. Smith said

The First Take host has been saying this for quite a while that LeBron James has proved over the course of the last few weeks that he is still as capable as he can be at his age.

"They don't particularly like him. … They'll never admit that. … As great as [LeBron James] is, … he's also one of the greatest [manipulators] of narratives we've ever seen."@stephenasmith thinks LeBron contributed to the deterioration of his and the Lakers relationship… pic.twitter.com/DxGOUePbKi

— First Take (@FirstTake) May 14, 2026

The fact that they pushed him to be a corner scorer was a disservice. Smith has also stated that the franchise should give him the tools to try to win another championship.

Stephen A. Smith flips the blame on LeBron James for breakdown with Lakers

After agreeing that the Los Angeles Lakers have undermined and taken LeBron James for granted, Stephen A. Smith then pivoted to why their relationship has come to this impasse.

You know that Klutch Sports’ Rich Paul, and obviously, by extension, LeBron James, has turned them off… As great as he (James) is,… he’s also one of the greatest manipulators of narratives we’ve ever seen… Over the years, how fixated they were on manipulating and dictating narratives. The Lakers were on the brunt end of all of that.

Stephen A. Smith said

The 58-year-old confirmed his stance with Kendrick Perkins, citing how the latter’s minor criticism led James to block him on social media.

That has been the situation all throughout the four-time champion’s tenure with the Lakers. Smith pointed out how James and his entourage have tried to control narratives that eventually would backfire on the Lakers.

That, according to Smith, could be the reason why the franchise is frustrated with him and has not been listening to his demands over the past few years. They might sound as if they are ungrateful, but Smith is not willing to absolve LeBron and his close friends from doing their part in that.

Brian Windhorst believes insulting LeBron James will leave Lakers high and dry

This impasse between LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers is why many believe ‘the King’ could leave the franchise. Brian Windhorst details how the organization can avoid its superstar walking away.

You better bring him a reason to take the pay cut… The concept that he’s just not as good anymore and he’s only worth $30M instead of $50M, you’re not getting that from LeBron James… If you’re the Lakers and you force LeBron to leave, he’ll go somewhere else and play for less money.

Brian Windhorst said on Get Up

The ESPN senior writer added that if the franchise only offers a lower salary without a commitment to bring in impactful players, James could leave, as that would be an insult to his reputation.

"You better bring him a reason to take a pay cut. … If you're the Lakers, if you force LeBron to leave, he'll go somewhere else and play for less money."

—@WindhorstESPN on LeBron James' free agency and a possible pay cut 👀 pic.twitter.com/Rs6XuEIoyO

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 14, 2026

Windy reminded his colleagues that the four-time league MVP proved that he is one of the better players in the league, particularly in the postseason. Therefore, all those demands for a pay cut will likely be out of the window.

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