LeBron James has called out the NBA media for the way it covers the league, rallying behind Anthony Edwards who said he was not interested in being the face of American basketball.
During All-Star Weekend, Edwards rolled over the mantle to Victor Wembanyama to be the face of the NBA and denied seeing himself as the main man.
LeBron, who was the former face of the NBA, came up against Edwards in the Lakers and Timberwolves game on Thursday, has however, stood behind his mid-week rival, stating why he did not mind if Anthony didn’t want to be associated with the title.
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LeBron, who was the former face of the NBA, came up against Edwards on Thursday and has stood behind his mid-week rival, stating why he did not mind if Anthony didn’t want to be associated with the title.
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‘I mean, it’s unfortunate but like, why do you want to be the face of the league when all the people that cover our game and talk about our game on a day-to-day basis s**t on everybody?’ James said. ‘To have that responsibility, it’s just weird. It’s weird energy.’
On Friday morning, Stephen Anthony Smith went on a huge rant about James’ words, which he labelled ‘BS’.
‘First of all, there’s a whole bunch of players that cover the league. They’re former players,’ Smith said.
‘They’re not just reporters, they’re former players. Former big-time players, former Hall of Fame players, they talk about the league too. Is everything negative?’
‘When he talks about people covering the league, we know he’s talking about me… and he’s not just talking about people like me, he talked about Inside the NBA.’
It appeared Smith was personally offended by LeBron James’ indirect diss of Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal, and Ernie Johnson, and it reportedly led to the rant of his show.
On social media, some fans believe Smith’s rant on ESPN proved James’ point, and the Lakers star then reacted by reemphasizing his position on X.
‘Exactly made my point but anyways. Happy this convo has started. It ain’t about “face of the game” and it ain’t about one person or one show, it’s about the culture of basketball, the most beautiful game in the world.
‘Our game has never been better. Incredible young stars from all over the world and some older ones. Steph Curry should be all we are talking about today. Let’s discuss how great OKC and The Cavs have been this season with 2 completely different styles and break down why and how they have. Of course if players don’t perform we need to discuss that too and break that down,’ LeBron James said on X.
‘Even that can be discussed in a way that’s not to bring finality to that players game but to leave room to see how that player responds and let’s watch the journey of that player.
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‘This ain’t about me either. At this point I don’t really care what’s said about me it’s always something. This is about the impact the negativity is having on our beautiful game and our fans. I know I speak for a lot of players and more importantly, a helluva lot of great fans that truly love and celebrate this sport around the world,’ he added.
