While many debate the Los Angeles Lakers’ treatment of LeBron James, Smith believes the frustration runs both ways, with years of clashing narratives quietly souring the partnership behind the scenes.

“The Lakers don’t particularly like LeBron James” — that was ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, unfiltered on First Take. “That’s what this is about more so than anything else. They’ll never admit that. I’m saying there’s denials all over the place. ‘Oh my God, I know this. They didn’t just say that.'”

Now turning towards Kendrick Perkins, Stephen A. said, “You know that Klutch Sports, Rich Paul, and obviously by extension LeBron James, have turned them off. When they made the trade for Russell Westbrook that ended up being disastrous, they felt like LeBron wasn’t accepting accountability.” Smith added, “When there were narratives put out there that the organization was the issue and not LeBron James, they knew it wasn’t them putting that stuff out there.”

Westbrook struggled alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and the Lakers reportedly passed on a Westbrook-for-John Wall deal because Houston wanted the 2027 first-round pick. Later reporting said James, along with others in the organization, admitted they misjudged the Westbrook trade, so it’s not quite right to say he never accepted any accountability.

Meanwhile, Stephen A. Smith made a bold claim. “As great as he is, LeBron James is on the Mount Rushmore of basketball, one of the greatest players to have ever lived. He’s also one of the greatest manipulators of narratives we’ve ever seen,” he said. He argued that LeBron has always been extremely careful about shaping public perception around him.

To back his point, Smith brought up Kendrick Perkins, who once shared a close bond with LeBron James as a teammate and longtime friend. According to Smith, that relationship changed after Perkins publicly criticized him, leading LeBron to distance himself on social media.

“Mad respect to somebody like Rich Paul, who’s done a great job with Klutch Sports and all,” Stephen A. added. “Ain’t nobody here to cast any aspersions. But we all know, over the years, not recently, but over the years, how fixated they were on manipulating and dictating narratives.”

In fact, according to the veteran analyst, the Los Angeles Lakers often found themselves under pressure and facing narratives surrounding LeBron James. Still, he made it clear that none of it takes away from LeBron’s greatness, professionalism, or impact on the franchise, insisting his achievements and commitment remain beyond criticism.

“Certainly, they should have an elevated level of appreciation because they didn’t choose LeBron James. They didn’t win LeBron James. LeBron James chose the Lakers. He could have went anywhere, but he chose the Lakers,” Smith said.

The 58-year-old doubled down, ” He chose the Lakers, he wanted to go to the Lakers. He made it very, very clear that’s what he was doing. There was no sweepstakes that they competed for where they won him. He chose them.”

But at the same time, no one is doubting James’ value to the Lakers. It was about the baggage that came with him. And according to Smith, LeBron’s constant need to shape narratives may have quietly frustrated people inside the organization over the years, even while they fully understood his greatness and the undeniable impact he brought to the franchise.

LeBron James reportedly felt disrespected by Rob Pelinka

In the 2025-26 season, the 41-year-old had to take the role of the third option. That’s simply because JJ Redick wanted to put Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves at the center of all his game plans. LeBron James admitted the transition wasn’t easy.

Yet, he was more than happy to help, especially with a $52.6 million expiring contract. Still, there was one moment when LeBron James felt Rob Pelinka and the Los Angeles Lakers took him for granted despite everything he had sacrificed for the franchise.

Late March should have felt like a pure celebration for LeBron James. The Los Angeles Lakers had just beaten the Cleveland Cavaliers, and James climbed to 1,229 combined regular-season and playoff wins, passing Kareem Abdul Jabbar for the most victories in NBA history.

Meanwhile, Luka Doncic crossed 15,000 career points, Rui Hachimura reached 5,000, and JJ Redick secured his 100th coaching win. The locker room buzzed with applause as Redick shouted out every milestone one by one.

Meanwhile, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka walked in holding the game ball, and many expected it to land in James’ hands after another historic night. Instead, he handed it to Redick.

According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, that moment deeply bothered James. Sources believed it added to growing frustration tied to the Luka Doncic era, especially after James had willingly stepped back offensively to help Doncic and Austin Reaves thrive during the Lakers’ winning stretch.

Something has clearly cracked between LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. And Stephen A. Smith believes both sides carry blame. The franchise still respects his greatness, yet years of pressure, narrative battles, and unresolved frustration appear to have worn everyone down.

Then came the Rob Pelinka moment. It only added fuel to emotions that had quietly been building behind closed doors for a long time. Meanwhile, James’ future remains in the dark. What will happen next, no one knows!