On Thursday, veteran NBA commentator Nick Wright offered his thoughts on "What's Wright?" on the rivalry between LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith. James and Smith's friendship soured when the LA Lakers player was a guest on "The Pat McAfee Show." He discussed his objectives with the media representative after the event.
Wright recalled Smith's comments on the four-time champ on Wednesday's "The Stephen A. Smith Show" broadcast. According to the expert, there was no disagreement between the ESPN host and the Lakers player. But he made it clear that he doesn't believe he is the greatest player of all time, which he claims is why James has a problem with him.
However, James' statement that the ESPN reporter was turning him into a "Taylor Swift-like tour" turned everything around. Wright said that Smith's perspective changed when the Lakers star made fun of him on Instagram.
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"You always claimed you had no problem with LeBron," Wright said. "You always claimed he only had a problem with you.
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"Was there something personal before? LeBron wouldn't talk to him, that was the problem. LeBron wouldn't talk to him or acknowledge him, and Michael Jordan texts with him. That's it, that's the whole thing."
When James questioned Smith about his evaluation of his child, the two's relationship shifted.
Like Smith, fans were surprised when the Lakers star approached him during their game against the New York Knicks on Mar. 6. James confronted the critic for what he said about Bronny James. Since then, the two have gone back and forth.
In Smith's defense, however, he criticized the veteran star for putting the younger James in a tricky position. The analyst believed Bronny was in a challenging position when the Lakers drafted him.
Also read: "Just take an L" - NBA insider slams Stephen A. Smith for not resolving beef with LeBron James
Stephen A. Smith issued an apology regarding what he said about LeBron James
During the first hour of "First Take," Stephen A. Smith wasn't done with LeBron James. He went at him after the basketball superstar made fun of him by posting a video of him boxing. Smith mentioned that the Lakers star should be happy he didn't bring up the forward not attending the late Kobe Bryant's funeral.
However, he found that the four-time champion was indeed there at that very moment. He apologized during the second hour of the show and then doubled down when he posted a comment on X.
"My apologies and clarification. I misspoke in Hour#1 of @FirstTake today when I intimated that LeBron did not attend Kobe Bryant’s memorial," Smith posted.
According to an article by the LA Times in 2020, James was among the people who attended the funeral.
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