Stephen A. Smith Accuses LeBron James of ‘Manipulating Narratives,’ Sides With ESPN Co-Star Amid Viral Twitter Feud

Stephen A. Smith, taking on LeBron James, isn’t a new affair in the NBA world. Ever since Chosen One made his way in 2003, the media has always put him under the scanner. A. Smith has played a huge part in it, repeatedly calling out the superstar on various issues. And, he picked up James’ latest beef with his ESPN partner, Kendrick Perkins, and ripped him apart with a brutal accusation of manipulating and controlling the narratives.

Everything began with King James’ comment on Kyrie Irving‘s impressive playoff run and his frustration of not being his “running mate”. While the LA Lakers superstar made that statement as a former teammate, Perkins projected it as James’ way of “weaseling” his way into Irving’ moment. Following this outrageous claim, the superstar didn’t make any statements and unfollowed the former Boston Celtics player. Even then, there isn’t any proof that James did it intentionally as a response to Perkins’ statement.

And, the online fans had a field day trolling Perkins after he wrote, “Everybody didn’t follow Jesus. I’ll be ok.”  When the issue settled for a while, Stephen A. Smith rekindled it by taking his partner’s side. He said, “Perk wasn’t lying now LeBron James to me ain’t committing a crime… I’m sure he was very sincere about Kyrie Irving… I just think it’s important to note that LeBron does have a history of trying to manipulate and control narratives.”

Moreover, he also said, that James proved Perkins’ point by unfollowing him on X. This isn’t the first time when A. Smith had accused LeBron James of manipulating narratives and also not the first time when he took a stand for his partner.

However, given the Lakers’ uncertain time, heading into the 2024 off-season without a head coach and their superstar yet to sign the player option, this accusation could get costly for the LA side.

The nagging Stephen A. Smith trouble for LeBron James

Last month, Stephen A. Smith made a similar accusation against LeBron James after the Lakers dismissed Darvin Ham. Around the same time, James began his podcast journey with JJ Redick titled ‘Mind the Game Pod’. Immediately after its launch, Smith went on his independent show and accused the superstar of controlling the narrative.

A. Smith said, “I appreciate LeBron’s greatness and his cerebral approach [to] educating us about the game of basketball But why would you [make the podcast] in your 21st season approaching age 40?” 

He continued, “Because you know why? You want to make sure that you’re the guy who gets to put your fingerprints on narratives.” And a month later, he called him out with the same accusation over the Kendrick Perkins controversy. Similarly, a few weeks ago, he also poked his nose at the Shaq-Sharpe controversy and took Shannon Sharpe’s side.

While the veteran ESPN analyst accused the superstar of controlling the narratives, he has been consistently doing the same thing on the side. The 56-year-old has always managed to bring a counter-narrative to tackle James. What do you make of it? Let us know in the comments.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about WNBA sensation Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, this video