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[Saba Sports News] Stephen A. Smith isn’t backing down from his ongoing feud with LeBron James, but on Thursday, he admitted he went too far in one particular moment.
During a lengthy segment on ESPN’s ‘First Take’, Smith claimed he had been holding back on certain controversial topics out of respect for James. As an example, he pointed to LeBron’s absence from Kobe Bryant’s public memorial service in 2020.
“I suggest that he be happy with the things that I haven’t brought up,” Smith said. “I never brought up, really, and never really discussed why you were not at Kobe Bryant’s memorial service.”
While LeBron didn’t speak at the memorial, multiple media outlets reported at the time that he was in attendance. Smith appeared to realize this during the second hour of ‘First Take’ and attempted to clarify.
“People are blowing up my phone since the first segment,” Smith said. “I didn’t mean to say he wasn’t in the building. I was told he was. We saw a bunch of players out there. We didn’t see him. Why? That’s for him to answer one day — if he wants to.”
By Thursday afternoon, Smith had fully walked back the comment. He posted an apology on X (formerly Twitter), saying he “misspoke” about LeBron’s attendance and that he “should not have even broached that subject.”
However, he stood firm on the rest of his criticism, adding, “I retract NOTHING else that I said.”
The drama between Smith and LeBron originally kicked off after James confronted the ESPN analyst over his coverage of Bronny James. Since then, Smith has leaned into the spotlight, repeatedly calling out LeBron on-air.
James, for his part, has mostly brushed off the back-and-forth — though he hasn’t hesitated to troll Smith from time to time.
Still, Smith’s rare apology suggests even he recognized that invoking Kobe’s memorial crossed a line — and it’s likely we won’t hear that point brought up again.