This week, the continued rift between LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith turned ugly. After the Lakers star accused the ESPN analyst of breaking an unwritten rule by getting “personal,” Smith fired again by calling James “a liar” who twists the reality to suit his narrative.
The drama has supplied entertaining fodder to media shops, however some consider it’s doing a disservice to the integrity of the game. Watching the feud unfold from afar, TNT’s Charles Barkley believes James and Smith are “losers” for failing to maintain their feelings in verify. The Corridor of Famer was extra crucial of James, calling the 40-year-old “a bully” for attacking Smith and his ESPN colleague Brian Windhorst.
“He’s too huge to be that sort of bully, to bully Stephen A. and to bully Brian Windhorst,” Barkley told “The Dan Patrick Show” on Friday. “Brian Windhorst is a candy individual man; he is simply attempting to do his factor. And I’ve all the time appreciated LeBron however him being a bully, it turned me off, Dan. However I’ll say this — Stephen A., the best way he reacted was so lame and weak…. However I blame LeBron for beginning the bullying. He is a management freak — he is aware of every thing he is doing. He knew what he was doingwhen he walked as much as Stephen A… There’s solely losers on this state of affairs.”
Throughout his look on “The Pat McAfee Present,” James accused Windhorst of pretending to be his “best friend” only for clout on tv. Windhorst attended the identical highschool as James, overlaying the latter’s journey into the NBA and following his professional profession ever since. He additionally authored a number of books on James, together with “LeBron, Inc.: The Making of a Billion-Greenback Athlete.”
Some analysts have urged the NBA to intervene and finish the James-Smith feud, suggesting it might drive away true basketball followers. Commissioner Adam Silver denounced the feud at a information convention on Thursday.
