A lot of focus in NBA circles over the past couple of weeks has been on the drama between Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and ESPN talking head Stephen A. Smith. James confronted Smith at a recent Lakers game for comments the analyst made regarding LeBron’s son Bronny that he felt were out of line, and things have continued ever since.
Both Smith and LeBron have since taken shots at the other with the Lakers superstar most recently appearing on The Pat McAfee Show and also taking a shot on his Instagram page. The beef has gotten so big that even NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has taken notice.
Silver recently gave his thoughts on the drama, noting that he hasn’t fully read into everything that has gone on, but would prefer the focus of media coverage be on the product on the floor, via Jeff Zilgitt of USA Today:
“I saw some of the headlines that came out of it. I mean it is fascinating,” Silver said when asked by a reporter at a news conference.
“It seems to be more celebratory often than it is in the NBA, and I accept it,” Silver said. “We’re often the beneficiary, too. There’s seemingly as much social media interest in this league at times in all the other leagues combined. So, it’s a two-edged sword. Sometimes, it’s measured in column inches, and it’s wonderful to see so much interest in our sport. At the other time, I cringe at a lot of the coverage.
“I would just say in terms of that back and forth again, I haven’t had an opportunity to watch or read precisely what went on today, but of course we’d like the focus to be on the play on the floor. And I particularly feel protective of our players of course. But I recognize that there’s a cottage industry out there of media that we are often the beneficiary of that talk about our sport around the clock. But I sure wish it would never become personal.”
The way the NBA is covered by the media has been a topic of discussion for much of this season. Some have called out the often negative comments of many of the top media outlets. But this issue between LeBron and Smith goes far beyond that.
With the playoffs on the horizon, hopefully the coverage of the NBA will get back to praising the unbelievable product and Silver certainly hopes that is the case.
LeBron James laments ‘horrible turnover’ in Lakers loss to Bulls
Unfortunately for LeBron James, the on-court play wasn’t great in the Lakers’ recent loss to the Chicago Bulls. The Lakers superstar played a role in the team’s collapse in the final seconds and he held back no punches afterwards.
James admitted he committed a ‘horrible turnover’ on an inbounds pass late that allowed the Bulls to hit a 3-pointer to take the lead. Austin Reaves would put the Lakers back on top, but Josh Giddey hit a half court buzzer-beater to give the Bulls a shocking win.
LeBron did note that the Lakers still put themselves in position to win despite the mistakes and poor communication, but simply tipped his hat to Giddey and the Bulls and said they just have to move on and focus on their next game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
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