“LeBron, I don’t have the greatest relationship with LeBron James. I don’t give a damn about not having the greatest relationship with LeBron James.” That is an understatement, Stephen A. Smith. Things further escalated after LeBron James confronted Stephen A. after a game against the Knicks, accusing the ESPN sportscaster of going after his family (his comments about Bronny touched LeBron’s nerve). And, now, there is a new twist in this saga, led by 3x All-Star Gilbert Arenas.

In a recent segment of ‘No Chill Gil’, the Wizards legend spoke about the LeBron-Stephen A. feud. Arenas’s comments were aimed to provoke Stephen A. to ‘get back’ at LeBron James, on December 30th, which is also LeBron’s 41st birthday, as the Lakers face the Pistons in Detroit. Arenas said, “He’s playing Detroit. Now, who’s on Detroit Pistons? The last (inaudible) that tried to get him. Detroit Pistons at Crypto.com. Right, you thinking what I’m thinking? You gotta get back up.” 

Arenas added more fuel to the fire by suggesting that Stephen A. should bring gloves to the arena and confront LeBron. “Stephen A, you bring one of these (takes out boxing glove). You bring one of these with you, right? And you keep it behind your back. And then as soon as it’s time out, he going to have his back turned to you, he’s going to be listening to the play. And you walk on him. And then you got to, you got to do it like real, like real 90s style. And then you got to hit him with the…. You got to exaggerate this sh–, Stephen A. You got to start a (imitates punching) and then you got to knock that motherf—– head off”.

Arenas wasn’t done yet. “Ok, he is 6-foot-9, and about 260, so he probably won’t fall. He probably won’t fall out and be like, ‘Hey, what was that?’ He might do that, but it don’t matter. So, that’s all you have to do’”. Typical Gilbert Arenas gospel.

The funny part is, recently, Stephen A. Smith’s daughter, Samantha, revealed that she harbors a huge crush on Bryce James. Not sure her father would be particularly happy with that choice. Stephen A. has made it pretty clear that he and LeBron are nowhere near the point of reconciliation. Nor might they ever be.

Stephen A. Smith Claims LeBron James Crossed A Line During the Confrontation

The ESPN Sportscaster recently appeared as a guest on ‘The Dan Le Batard Show.’ During the conversation, Stephen A. Smith confirmed that there was a “zero” relationship between him and LeBron. However, it did not matter to him that he wasn’t on good terms with the NBA star. Smith defended himself against people complaining that all he does is talk about the NBA All-Time Scorer by saying, “The only time I ever mention him is when I’m asked. You know, if nobody asked me about him, I won’t talk about him”. As for the heated confrontation the duo had over Bronny James, Smith wasn’t letting himself be portrayed as the villain.

“And to me, what he did when he confronted me in the third quarter in the middle of the game court side, blaming me for something I did not do, and then tried to turn it into me being somebody that would go after somebody’s family and then coming on the Pat McAfee show thereafter just to insult me. That’s a line you don’t get to come back from,” said Smith.

Smith had been a vocal critic of Bronny James amid the young player’s poor stat run at the early stage of the 2024-25 NBA season. He reportedly blamed LeBron James for pushing his son too much by saying, “I am pleading with LeBron James as a father: stop this. Stop this. We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad.” This all culminated in the viral confrontation after the Lakers‘ 113-109 win over the New York Knicks in March. To top it off, LeBron later defended himself on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’, and even mocked Smith a bit by saying, “He’s gonna be smiling from ear to ear when he hears me talking about him. I know he’s gonna be happy as hell.”

Stephen A. Smith is not reportedly in a revenge mode. However, whether Gilbert Arenas’ comments push him over the edge or not is something that remains to be seen.