Stephen A. Smith Almost Apologizes for Dissing LeBron James in the Past

Over the past year and a half, whenever anyone talked about Stephen A. Smith and LeBron James in the same sentence, it was usually because of their highly-publicized beef.

Many wonder whether it had gotten to that, had a fan not recorded the Los Angeles Lakers superstar flaming the ESPN analyst during a timeout at Crypto.com Arena.

Instead, fans were treated to the journalist’s endless appearances on multiple platforms as the fire in his belly was not about to be stopped.

After James appeared on the Pat McAfee Show to troll Smith’s constant efforts to berate him, the situation took a turn for the worse, with the latter taking shots at the basketball superstar’s character.

Eventually, he had to apologize for bringing up things that were not true, but that did not stop Smith from still continuing his attack on LeBron James.

The ESPN executive producer also reiterated multiple times that he did not like the four-time champion. But now, his opinion seems to be changing.

You know my recent history with LeBron James… He is simply one of the most phenomenal, greatest athletes we have ever seen in our lifetime. So much so that it almost gets to a point right now that if I said something negative about him, I’d feel guilty about it. That’s how electric and incredible he’s looking.

Smith said on his namesake show

The 58-year-old almost made it an apology. However, he immediately made it clear that his ‘beef’ with his ‘foe’ should not cloud anyone’s judgement over how good the oldest player in the league has been on the basketball court.

Stephen A. Smith’s praise for LeBron James started on First Take

Usually, Stephen A. Smith speaks on his namesake show after he is done with his usual duty of appearing on his primary job, being an analyst on First Take.

It’s also because LeBron James, the four-time champion, the four-time MVP, is playing like one… If it comes down to LeBron James, he’ll figure it out… He knows what it takes to go deep in the playoffs.

Smith said

This was the analyst’s opinion when asked on the show what he thought about the Los Angeles Lakers’ stellar run of impressive wins over quality opponents.

It seems the father of two was clearly giving LeBron James his flowers for figuring out how to play with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, who are the primary options on the Lakers.

Smith claims he predicted that the four-time league MVP would eventually do what was necessary to help his team, amidst all the negative criticism that was directed towards him.

Stephen A. Smith waxes lyrical about LeBron James’ unselfishness

These conversations took place before the Los Angeles Lakers travelled to Miami after defeating the Houston Rockets the night before. While continuing his soliloquy, Stephen A. Smith said this:

He has to be applauded for the level of unselfishness… Think about the storylines that have surrounded him… He has stepped up when he needed to step up… This man has been an exceptional leader, an exceptional champion, an exceptional winner, and he’s showing it as we speak.

Smith said

He believes that LeBron James has done something that is difficult for superstars to do, and that is to voluntarily yield and take a step back when others have proved they can take over.

That sacrifice deserves applause, and Smith believes that for James to do this despite all the people wanting him to leave Los Angeles, the league’s all-time leading scorer has proven that he can step up and do what is necessary.

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