Podcast investigating LeBron James’ non-attendance at Kobe Bryant’s memorial feel the wrath of fans: “This is pathetic.”

Stephen A. Smith had claimed and then apologized for suggesting LeBron James was not present at Kobe Bryant's memorial.

Podcast investigating LeBron James’ non-attendance at Kobe Bryant’s memorial feel the wrath of fans: “This is pathetic.”

Former ESPN employee's podcast investigates if LeBron James was at Kobe Bryant's memorial

Basketball fans have been hooked on the back-and-forth discourse involving LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar and the ESPN analyst started the war of words, but one reference to Kobe Bryant ended up heavily affecting Smith’s reputation.

While live on First Take, he attacked James’ character by claiming he did not attend both Bryant’s memorial as well as best friend Dwyane Wade‘s Hall of Fame ceremony. But soon enough, he had to apologize for bringing up the memorial.

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That is because fans and celebrities pointed out that there is enough proof that James was indeed at the memorial. But he did not want to be captured on camera and hence the calls to provide proof. Now a podcast, Pablo Torre Finds Out, used their investigative abilities to find some proof.

We talked to eight sources who are directly familiar with the situation to get to the bottom of the mystery. I confirmed with multiple sources that Diana Taurasi never saw LeBron James at the memorial that day. We talked to a lead producer on the memorial, and the producer told us when we asked him, ‘The off-camera thing is bulls**t.

Pablo Torre said

Host Pablo S. Torre also revealed that one person who was in the VIP area the morning of the memorial told him that if James was indeed there, he would have been ‘Casper the Ghost’. This meant, according to Torre’s sources, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar was not at the memorial, seemingly confirming the very thing Stephen A. Smith claimed.

Fans fume at Pablo Torre’s investigation into LeBron James’ attendance

When this episode appeared online, fans quickly slammed Pablo Torre and his podcast. They felt two things undermined the claims made on his show. One was that he is a former ESPN employee, meaning he might have been doing this at the behest of Stephen A. Smith’s request.

Secondly, he was milking into Kobe Bryant’s death to try and gain clicks. Some felt how did it matter whether LeBron James was actually there or not. Some believe all the reputation he built up doing actual investigations were undone. Check out examples of those reactions below.

The former ESPN colleague part could probably bite back. Pablo Torre however, tried to claim that he was not stating any motive, rather he was just presenting what he was told. However, some believe this investigation was unnecessary considering the LA Times reported that James was at the memorial.

Stephen A. Smith’s political ambitions get a boost

In the midst of this discourse, some pointed out that Stephen A. Smith was intentionally going after LeBron James as it would paint him in a good light with Republican voters. They do not hold the Los Angeles Lakers superstar highly, therefore anyone who adds to that becomes their friend.

Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast conducted a Rasmussen Poll comprising of 1000+ respondents. The podcast asked who they would vote for if the Democrats held a primary to select their Presidential candidate.

The majority went with former Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris. But surprisingly 24% voted for Stephen A. Smith. This was a major improvement to his political stock, which brought out a response from the man himself.

He posted a meme of himself grinning while sipping his drink. He has stated before that he does not have an interest in running for President. But if the public favors him, there is a possibility that the long-time sports journalist looks to enter the 2028 race.