Here we go! Did you think that Stephen A. Smith would be quiet after LeBron James openly discussed their beef on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday? Well, if you thought that the 57-year-old ESPN veteran would for once sit calm and composed, you’re highly mistaken. “He’s like on a Taylor Swift tour run right now,” Bron had taunted Stephen A. And now, maybe that taunt and other things said in the podcast have pushed Smith’s buttons.

SAS isn’t the kind to let go of anything remotely associated with Bron. But to spew out an angry rant for 15 minutes? Oh boy! That seems like a far stretch, doesn’t it? But that’s just Stephen A. Smith being himself on First Take. However, 15 minutes…Gosh! To be precise, the Akron Hammer doesn’t appreciate personal attacks on players, he’s the kind to take criticisms for on-court faults. Off the court? That’s none of anybody’s business.

But here was Stephen A. Smith digging out the past. Addressing the matter on his show, the veteran called out LeBron. He brought out Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade’s names in his angry rant. SAS said: “You’d be happy with the things that I haven’t brought up, I never brought up. I never really discussed why you were not at Kobe Bryant’s memorial service. I never really brought up or discussed why you did not attend the Dwyane Wade Hall of Fame induction when that man was directly responsible for you capturing a championship for the first time in your career.”

Stephen A. Smith further went off on LeBron James, firing shots without taking direct aim. He said that he didn’t mention LeBron’s struggles, his son’s health scare, or why he skipped D-Wade’s Hall of Fame night. But the absence stung. Wade, the brother who helped make him a champion, got no show of respect. Business trips happened, but not this? However, Smith didn’t say it outright—but the frustration boiled over.

Unfortunately, Stephen A. Smith’s angry rants didn’t sit well with the basketball enthusiasts. Maybe this time, he went a bit too far. Dragging in the Black Mamba and Wade into the conversation. Therefore, fans have one question, and one alone: Was this necessary?

Stephen A. Smith faces America’s wrath after a ‘personal’ attack on LeBron James with Kobe dragged in

There’s debate over whether LeBron James attended Kobe Bryant’s memorial. The Staples Center was packed with stars, but no cameras caught Bron. He later told ESPN he was “emotionally a wreck.” Reports suggest he was there, just away from the spotlight. Now, a fan has dug up evidence for Stephen A. Smith.

A fan on X wrote: “Spent 17 minutes of live national TV time on calling LeBron a liar, comparing his stats to MJ (huh??), and making personal attacks on things he knows nothing about. Yeah, it’s time to pack it in, @espn… Hand @PatMcAfeeShow the keys to the network and send this bum wherever Skip is.” Stephen A. Smith always circles back to one topic: comparing LeBron to MJ. For him, Kobe and MJ are untouchable, while Bron barely makes the conversation. Maybe it’s time for ESPN to shake things up—at least, that’s what the fans think.

“How can you say LeBron is petty then hypocritically do something like this over the topic of a dead man???” a fan asked Stephen A. Smith. The comment directly criticizes him for calling LeBron James “petty” while contradictorily engaging in petty behavior themselves—especially over a sensitive topic like Kobe Bryant’s passing. It points out the hypocrisy in attacking LeBron while being just as, if not more, disrespectful.

Meanwhile, another basketball enthusiast hit SAS with a hilarious jab. They stated: “You can tell Stephen A. is bs-ing by how far back his hairline goes during a rant.” They are implying that the more exaggerated or misleading his rant, the further back his hairline seems to recede. It’s a playful way of calling out his perceived exaggerations or inconsistencies.

But then, there was a fan who said: “Lmao this what the media want though … they want 2 black brothers going against each other .. tearing each other down … keeping everybody in low frequencies… shidd lebron and Stephen A got money .. neither of them give a damn at the end of the day .. it’s just drama for TV.” The comment suggests the media stirs conflict between successful men of color like LeBron and Stephen A. to keep audiences engaged. But in the end, both are rich and likely unbothered—it’s just drama for TV. It could be a possibility; who knows?

In the end, it’s just another day in the media circus. Stephen A. Smith fired shots, fans clapped back, and the drama escalated. But does any of this really matter to LeBron James? Probably not. The headlines will fade, but the cycle will repeat.