With the LA Lakers and Denver Nuggets going head-to-head at Game 1 of the Playoffs, LeBron James‘ remark at the last hour of a much-anticipated game infuriated ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith. The NBA community is filled with thrill and anxiety about how the Lakers will tackle the geographical disadvantage at Denver, along with the Nuggets’ quick play. However, 4x NBA Champion thinks it’s not as big of a deal as hyped it is.

In his latest interaction with the press, King James commented on the Lakers’ rematch with the Nuggets, “I think you’re putting a little bit too much emphasis on it. This is our first-round matchup.” The NBA All-Star player insinuated he is not at all withered by the hype around the labeled rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals where the Nuggets swept 4-0. King James rather revealed he is thinking forward to the postseason. “We’re looking forward to the post-season. I haven’t been, like, looking forward to the rematch.” But this chill attitude for an expected game from the fans left Stephen A. Smith fuming.

ESPN Analyst Smith went for LeBron right from the start in his latest YouTube video as he said, “When has LeBron embraced the nemesis? When has it happened?… He doesn’t embrace the theatre of it all the way you would like him to in key moments like this [playoffs].” Smith was asserting that King James should acknowledge the challenges on a public level despite being exceptionally well at the games. In the end, Smith conclusively said that LeBron doesn’t “respond verbally” and “contribute to headlines” in a throaty tone.

Media houses are excited about this matchup, so attention drawing is an important part of the game for them as it promotes the games among the new audience. That’s why Smith possibly seemed to be all worked up about the remark from King James.

When the Nuggets mauled LeBron James and Co. at Kobe’s statue reveal

It is not the first time others have blasted LeBron James due to his non-theatrical attitude. On his YouTube channel, Stephen A. Smith also took a reference from the past to humiliate James. Recalling the match in Los Angeles on 9 February 2024, Smith stated, “They unveiled the Kobe Bryant statue before a game that night against Denver, and they whipped your [Lakers] a*s again!” Smith launched the attack on the Lakers as fans were expecting that the Lakers would be playing for the name of the late player Kobe Bryant.

However, the Lakers gave up the game to the Nuggets, scoring 114-106. The show that was put on to remember late Lakers player Kobe Bryant by unveiling a 19-foot-tall bronze statue of him went down the drain when his team lost to the Joker squad. Anthony Davis and LeBron James both exceedingly tried by adding 32 and 25 points to the tally, respectively. However, dark horses from the Nuggets, like Gordon and Porter, took the game away from the clutches of the Lakers.

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Coming to the end, the Lakers tried their best to meet fans’ expectations when they had Nuggets on the opposing side. However, the attitude that needs to be present to shut down a powerhouse like the Denver Nuggets seems to be missing from the team. So, is Stephen A. Smith’s remark for King James acceptable with the former theory?