LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes in American history, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, the face of Team USA at the Olympics, an imposing figure with a legitimate claim to GOAT status.
And in his ongoing battle with Stephen A. Smith, he’s getting whomped like he’s an elementary school kid fighting a high schooler.
The after-school slapfight metaphor is the right one; at a time when we have some incredibly compelling sports stories — the NCAA tournament, Opening Day, NBA playoff pushes, Alex Ovechkin’s Gretzky chase — the Stephen A.-LeBron kerfuffle is soaking up an inordinate share of the oxygen in the room.
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(Yes, we know this article is only contributing to that. We’re aware of the irony.)
You know who the participants are in this little drama — James, the perennial All-Star and face of the NBA for decades, and Smith, the current face of ESPN who’s “opinionated” in the way the ocean is “damp.” Their current feud began a few weeks ago, when James approached Smith before a game to take issue with the way Smith had been railing on James’ son.
