Words are like bullets; once you release them, you cannot retrieve them. They pierce, leaving the other side bleeding, sometimes in pain and sometimes in anger. In Stephen A. Smith’s case, it’s anger that overpowers and overshadows everything else. However, he limits his feelings to only one hooper, LeBron James. Always compared to MJ and Kobe and never credited for his achievements. Smith indeed goes all out on the Akron Hammer.

But then, an aggressive 15-minute monologue after James Sr. addressed his beef with the ESPN veteran at Pat McAfee’s podcast? Wow! Now that was some angry rant! “He’s like on a Taylor Swift tour run right now,” LeBron James said in the LeBronversation. This triggered the 57-year-old analyst who then, during his time on First Take, brought out a conversation including Kobe Bryant. Talking about how James allegedly didn’t attend the Black Mamba’s memorial and how he skipped Dwyane Wade’s HOF induction, SAS ‘crossed some lines.’

Stephen A. Smith confronts his major mistake as social media blew up after his “personal” attack on LeBron James

Since then, peace left the round-table for Stephen A. He had to use his platform to address the matter further and give a clarification in Kendrick Perkins and Brian Windhorst’s presence. Well, he did tweet an apology to the fans who were infuriated with his rant, clearly stating what he said in “Hour#1” and “Hour#2”. SAS owned his mistakes! But for now, let’s see what he said on national tv.

Smith said: “People were blowing up my phone since the first segment of the show when I talked about him at the memorial service, okay? I didn’t mean to say he wasn’t in the building. I was told he was in the building, you understand? But we saw a whole bunch of players out there. We didn’t see him. Why? Hmm. I’ll let him answer that one day if he so chooses.”

Well, whether LeBron James missed Kobe’s memorial or not is a topic to discuss in a while because the internet sleuths dug deep. They couldn’t let Smith continue with his ‘blatant lies’. Moreover, the fans bestowed SAS with their wrath as they called out the veteran for his insensitive approach. Things went to such extent where tweets like: “I ask that we please stop giving the man attention now. Thanks,” have begun circulating on the $41 billion platform, X.

But that’s not even the part that should be concerning, as fans often post tweets of this kind. Instead, X’s community guidelines caught Smith’s lies and penalized him for spreading misinformation. Undoubtedly, Stephen A. Smith‘s claims deserve some research, and major research might we just add?

But before anyone, the LeBron James fandom rose to the occasion, doing sine work for SAS, who quite simply forgot that the internet exists. Besides, the whole fiasco that led to Smith receiving phone calls might not look favorable for the veteran because who knows who’s on the other end? Disney CEO, his ESPN boss, or any ex-player?

Now, the question is, did Bron truly miss his dear friend Kobe Bryant’s memorial in 2020? Were they secretly estranged, and no one but SAS knew about it? Or are Stephen A. Smith’s claims a big mistake?

Is there any truth in Stephen A. Smith’s LeBron James claims?

Smith exploded: “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.”

Well, there is a debate over whether LeBron had attended the “Celebration of Life” memorial at Staples Center after Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant’s sad untimely demise. The event was attended by some of the biggest names in the game, like Stephen Curry, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook. And while Snoop Dogg hid his tears behind his glasses, Christina Aguilera and Alicia Keys gave a gut-wrenching tribute. Michael Jordan and Shaq’s tearful speech… how can we forget that? But where was LeBron?

LeBron James, absent from clips of the touching memorial, faced questions about his presence. In an ESPN video, he admitted he was “emotionally a wreck” and struggled to talk about it. “It was [a] very emotional, very emotional day, very tough day for myself, for my family, for everyone involved,” he shared before the Lakers’ game against the Pelicans. Despite his grief, he deeply admired Vanessa Bryant for her strength in honoring her husband and daughter before the world.

In the end, the truth remains tangled in emotions, speculation, and one man’s fiery words. LeBron, burdened by grief, never publicly confirmed or denied his presence. Yet, Stephen A. Smith’s relentless pursuit turned a personal moment into a public trial. Fans pushed back, demanding respect for a man mourning in his own way. Now, the real question lingers—was this ever about answers or just another headline?