LeBron James finally broke his silence on The Pat McAfee Show Wednesday morning, nearly three weeks after confronting Stephen A Smith during a Lakers-Knicks game. But instead of rehashing the moment, he took a shot at how Smith milked the situation, calling the fallout a “Taylor Swift tour run” for the ESPN personality.

The whole thing started when Smith questioned Bronny James’ NBA future on First Take (Jan. 29). He didn’t just say Bronny should spend his rookie year in the G League—he hinted that the only reason LeBron’s son had a shot in the league was because of his father. That take didn’t sit well with the 21x All-Star. Five weeks later, during a timeout, he made sure to let Smith know exactly how he felt.

James didn’t share what was said at that moment, but one thing was clear—he’s not impressed with how Smith has handled things since. But SAS wasn’t letting this one go. After the 4x MVP called him out on The Pat McAfee Show, the ESPN personality took to his podcast to keep the feud alive. Instead of cooling things down, he went on another rant about the Lakers superstar, making sure everyone knew he wasn’t backing down.

At one point, Smith took things up a notch, throwing out a wild claim. If LeBron had “put his hands” on him during their sideline exchange in L.A., Smith swore he wouldn’t have just stood there. “I would’ve swung on him,” he said, as if this was turning into some kind of heavyweight showdown.

Fans wasted no time clowning Stephen A Smith for his tough talk.

Stephen A Smith’s claim rubbished by fans

A netizen wasn’t impressed with Stephen A’s tough talk, tweeting, “SAS you wouldn’t have did a DAMN thing! 😭 you just got 100M’s from ESPN you not risking losing that. Stop the 🧢 @stephenasmith.”

And let’s be real—this fan has a point. Just three weeks ago, when LeBron confronted him, Smith had just signed a massive $100 million contract with ESPN. He’s not about to throw hands with one of the NBA’s biggest stars and risk everything he’s worked for. The league doesn’t take physical altercations lightly, especially involving its biggest star. Broadcasters, analysts, and media members rely on their league credentials to access games, practices, and locker rooms. A physical altercation with LeBron would likely get Smith blacklisted from NBA events entirely.

Smith is a smart businessman. He knows his value at ESPN, and there’s no way he’d jeopardize that over some sideline argument. If anything, they see it as classic Stephen A.—talking big when there’s no real threat.

One fan sarcastically reminded him of his past on-camera moments, tweeting, “We saw you swing @stephenasmith Not a soul would be scared of you.”. A video of him boxing had gone viral for his incorrect form and lack lustre punches. He also took some heat for his awkwardly stiff first pitch at a Yankees game.

Those clips have been meme material for years, so naturally, fans weren’t buying his sudden “tough guy” act. At the end of the day, this is classic Stephen A—all bark, no bite. Fans know it, and they’re having a field day reminding him.

Another response summed up the general reaction perfectly: “Ok and then get absolutely launched across the gym.”. Let’s be real—LeBron James is 6’9”, 250 pounds of pure muscle, while Stephen A. is… well, a 57-year-old sports analyst with no highlight reel outside of debate shows. If this hypothetical showdown ever happened, it wouldn’t take much for the Lakers superstar to send him flying. Just ask anyone who’s tried to guard him in the paint.

LeBron called it perfectly when he said SAS was on a “Taylor Swift tour run.” One fan put it bluntly: “Bro still yappin’ about this?” And honestly, they’re not wrong.

When the incident first went down, Smith acted like he wanted no part of the drama. He said he wasn’t going to address it—but then he did. First on First Take, then over at Gil’s Arena, and now he’s back at it on his podcast, this time claiming he would’ve “swung” on LeBron if things got physical.

One fan couldn’t believe Stephen A. Smith was actually serious, tweeting, “I thought this was Centel😂.” And honestly, can you blame them?

For those unfamiliar, NBA Centel is a parody account that mimics NBA Central.  It posts exaggerated, fake headlines so ridiculous that they feel almost believable—kind of like Stephen A. claiming he’d swing on LeBron James.