LeBron James recent comments about Memphis being one of his least favorite cities to play in, and that the Grizzlies should move to Nashville, may have landed him under Stephen A. Smith’s radar. Smith didn’t let the comments slide and criticized James for his take. However, Smith’s comments didn’t sit well with an NFL legend, who called him out.

“I told y’all this n— was a clown and ain’t about 💩” wrote NFL legend T.O. on his IG story, sharing NBA legend Matt Barnes’ take on the issue.

Terrell Owens has clearly chosen his side. And T.O’s decision to go against Smith shouldn’t come as a surprise. Previously, the former wide receiver blamed Smith for twisting the narrative and tarnishing his name. On the All The Smoke podcast, Owens said that Stephen misrepresented him and that the sports analyst has a “negative energy” around him.

Smith called out James, saying that “We can’t throw shade on LeBron until we take into account knowing that 63 percent of the people there are black, knowing that they need this team to continue to help fuel the economy, the local economy there, as opposed to big up in Nashville, and saying, ‘Why don’t you just go there?’ not thinking of the citizens at all.”

Following Smith’s comment, former Grizzlies player Matt Barnes delivered a brutal reality check to the ESPN analyst.

“You’re talking about his words and what they mean to the Black community,” said Matt Barnes on Instagram. “But you’ve been the same man in front of the camera for the last handful of months disrespecting Serena Williams, disrespecting Jasmine Crockett, disrespecting Kamala Harris, and tap dancing for the whole white Republican Party but you got an issue with LeBron talking about a trending topic and his words carry weight and he doesn’t understand what his words can do to the Black community.”

He has criticized famous black people before, yet now he is speaking for them. For instance, he questioned Serena Williams’ surprise appearance at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show.

Moreover, Barnes also pointed out that the Memphis Grizzlies need an upgrade to their facilities, especially for the pro players. Although James was harsh, Barnes agreed that he wasn’t lying.

“I played in Memphis, got a lot of love for the city, but there’s no doubt that the city needs an upgrade when it comes to its facilities for pro players. But Stephen A., you shouldn’t have a problem with that,” said Barnes.

LeBron James urges the Grizzlies to move to Nashville

Owens called Smith a “clown” after his recent criticism of LeBron James’ “Grizzlies” comments on Bob Does Sports YT show. LeBron mentioned that he might have pulled an “Eli Manning” and not played for Memphis if they had won the 2003 lottery and selected him No. 1 overall.

“(The Grizzlies’) best chance would have been in 2003 if they had won the (NBA draft) lottery,” James said, laughing. “And I might’ve pulled an Eli Manning and not shown up.”

LeBron’s criticism was mainly pointed at Memphis, suggesting that the Grizzlies should move to Nashville (already home to the Tennessee Titans and the NHL’s Predators). He also indicated that most players in the locker room share the same sentiment.

“Staying at the f—ing Hyatt at 41 years old, you think I want to do that s—?” James said. “Being in Memphis on a random-a– Thursday. I’m not even the first guy to talk about this in the NBA. We’re all like, ‘You guys have to move.'”

The four-time MVP further continued, while urging them to move. “Go over to Nashville. They got everything.”

For now, the narrative has shifted to Smith’s criticism of the basketball legend and T.O’s comments. The long-simmering feud between the two media personalities shows no signs of cooling down.