What's up, everybody? Stephen A Smith here.
Recently we made news because the great Bill O'Reilly announced a tour that's coming nearest to you in the very very near future. Get your tickets now for this. It's called Three Americans Live, March thirtieth at Live Nation's Flag
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Those are the things that make America as great as it should be.
The show will be spirited, unscripted, and all three of us will let it fly as we discussed the topics everyone is thinking about these days. There'll also be questions from the audience We're not running. Tickets are officially on sale now with pre sale code USA at three Americanslive dot com. VIP packages are available with the opportunity to meet and take photos with myself and both those fellas that Three Americans Live March thirtieth at the Westbury Music
Fair on Long Island. Additional dates in cities to be announced. Don't miss it. Trust me, you'll get a kick out of it.
Did y'all see him? Y'all saw Lebron James right.
Clearly he wanted to be seen showing up on the Pat McAfee show today talking a little bit of smack by the way about yours truly Okay, he had his say my turn, Steven Asmith show in the house, let's.
Rub what's up? Everybody?
Welcome to the latest edition of The Stephen Aatesmith Show, coming at you over the digital airways of YouTube and of course, iHeartRadio has always liked to take a moment to thank my subscribers and followers over the last twenty three months or so millions of downloads courtesy of iHeartRadio, not to mention one one point one five million subscribers we've accumulated over that same period of time as well. Can't thank y'all for the love and support enough. I
truly appreciate it. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for your love to and support. Please don't think that I ever forget that. I always know that. To continue to like and follow the show, just click the bell and get notified. For all of our newest content, and you too shall be the latest member of the Steven Nini Smith Show family. And as always, I like to encourage people to get a copy of my New York Times bestselling book, Straight Shooter, a Memoir of Second Chances
and First Takes, now in paperback. Just go to Straight Shooter book dot com to get yourself a copy. Once again, that Straight Shooter book dot Com to get yourself a copy. Let's just get right into it. We all know where I need to start today, and it's with some sports talk, media news and my good friend mister Lebron James. Lebron appeared on the Pat McAfee Show today and made a few headlines with his thoughts on a number of topics, including yours. Truly, for those of you who didn't see it,
I'll play it for you right here. This is Lebron James on Pat McAfee talking about me.
Which leads obviously to you and Stephen A.
Hey, legit, that feels like a moment that had been brewing for a long time.
He's like on a Taylor Swift tour run right now.
Oh yeah, yeah, we're watching it.
I mean, we're all you're seeing it as well.
You know, he literally it started off with I didn't want to address it. I didn't I didn't want to address it. I wasn't going to address it. But since the video came out, I feel the need to address.
It, to talk about it.
Are you kidding me?
If there's one person that couldn't wait to the video to drop so you can address it, is your ass.
Like seriously, it's and like.
Another he completely like I missed the whole point, the whole point.
Never in my never would I ever.
Not a allow people to talk about the sport, criticize players about what they do on the court. That is your job to criticize or to you know, be in a position where okay, if a guy's not performing, you know, that is.
All that is all part of the game, that's all part of the game.
But when you take it and you get personal with it, it's my job to not only protect my damn household, but protect the players.
You know.
And I think, and I think a lot of the media, including him, and I know he's gonna he's gonna be happy as hell. He's gonna be smiling from ear to ear when he hears me talking about him. Oh my god, he's gonna get home and grab some ice cream out of the fucking freezer and sit.
In his chair. And it's tighty white. He's on the couchside. I hope you. I hope at some point you too get in. You're like relax, bro like relax.
Uh.
Tidy Whitey's comment was funny because I don't wear tidy whiteies.
Let you figure out why that is.
But moving on from that particular subject, I don't happen to consider anything that Lebron has said a laughing matter.
So y'all wanted me to be serious. I'll be serious, and.
I know that some people out there that are going to be like, I'm milking the story for all it's worth. Well, I've been winning in television for quite some time. I don't need an incident like this to talk about Lebron, and I don't need an incident like this to get ratings. Lebron gives us plenty of ammunition to talk about him, both good and bad. So let's get that out the way first. Let's also get out the way that major,
major props to Pat McAfee for getting that interview. There's a lot of people that's been texting me and he's a teammate, he's on ESPN.
Why would he do that.
Please y'all be quiet. Pat McAfee did nothing wrong. Pat McAfee did his job. Pat McFee has a show that airs on ESPN. You have a Lebron opportunity to get Lebron James, you take him. I'll give a damn who you are. This is one of the greatest players in the history of basketball.
You get him. If you have an opportunity to get him, you get him.
And I didn't think that Pat McAfee disrespected me or did me wrong in any way. He did his job and I got no problems with it. My issue is with Lebron James, and I just want to say for the record, Lebron James is full of it, and in this particular instance, as it pertains to his son, he is a liar. And he went on national television today and he lied again. You see when he approached on He approached me while I was sitting courtside at that game against the New York Knicks. When he rolled up
on me. I didn't know he was going to roll up on me. I had no idea. But when he said what he had to say. I was in no position to give any kind of retort without making a scene. It was during the third quarter, it was fresh out of a time out. It was him walking to the basketball court. It was on national television. The cameras were rolling, and had I done something, what do y'all want me to do?
You want me to act?
You want this to be a reincarnation of Chris Rock and Will Smith. And let me stay for the record that while we bring up that, let me assure you it wouldn't have gone down like that. I would have gotten my ass kick because had that man put his hands on me, I would have immediately swung on him immediately that I'm not going to tolerate. But I knew he wasn't going to do something like that. There was no fear in my mind about it. It was shocked because, as I have repeatedly stated, I.
Was not talking about his son.
I was talking about him and whether it's the video that you saw him A couple of days later after that incident, when he was talking to Richard Jefferson, my colleague at ESPN, before an ABC game in Boston, when it got blown out that night by the Celtics or in the aftermath of it, including Pat McAfee's show when he talked about me getting personal and taking it beyond basketball.
I'm getting to a point where I'm getting very annoyed at people who cover the game of basketball, who cover professional sports, pundits out there, including him in a circle, his family members, and everybody else included. When are y'all going to ask him or hold him accountable for the truth. I have not been talking about Bronnie James. I have not, as lebron James accused me of doing, to my face,
been shitting on his son. I clapped back at d Wade and Mellow, two brothers I love deally when they were talking about this, even though ninety nine percent of the stuff they said was right, it was not clapping back of the son your second round pick fifty fifth. Overall, there's been plenty of second round picks that have to work their way up through the ranks before getting to the pro level.
Me pointing that out.
About his son and talking about how his son has been pushed to the forefront, thereby put in a line of fire for folks in the media to come at him, is not denigrating his son. It's simply highlighting what we all knew, which is that he's not ready yet. But based on what we've seen from Bronnie recently, there are indications that he will be. And as Lebron James pointed out on the Pat McAfee Show today, it's probably sooner than later because his growth and his maturation from just
a year ago has happened by leaps and bounds. Nothing but respect and appreciation, wishing Bronnie nothing but the best. This is not about Bronnie. This is about Lebron. This is about Lebron. And when you sit up there and you talk about I love talking about don't need something like this to happen to talk about Lebron. He plays for the Lakers. He is Lebron James. I don't need an incident like this to talk about Lebron James. And
do I use him for ratings? You're damn right, like I use anything in the news for ratings, because I'm a reporter and a personality and abundant and a commentator. That's my career. Of Course I talk about him, of course, I talk about anything relevant in the news. One minute, it's Lebron another minute, it's the Cowboys, y'all act like that's all I talk about. For two hours a day, ten hours a week live, all I talk about is Lebron and the Cowboys.
Are you sure?
Because I can pick a whole bunch of things I've gotten in trouble for for opening my mouth about. But that's neither here nor there, because listen, I get distracted from the real point in hand. The real point in hand is this Lebron James continues to lie. He hoodwink y'all in the thinking that he was upset about criticism
about his son. If your son is a professional basketball player and I was talking about your son as a basketball player, since you just went on Pat McAfee show it and said you would never knock anybody for talking about the game, then what is it that I said?
What I said was as a father. Stop.
I wasn't talking about you as a father, as somebody that's home minded your business, and I just call you out because your son is in this position. That's not the father I've been talking about. That's why I've been addressing Draymond Green, who's been an avid supporter of Lebron on this matter. All I'm asking is for comprehension of the actual point. How do you mention Bronnie James without bringing up how he got drafted by the Lakers? How
you got drafted period. How do you bring that up without bringing up Lebron James saying he was better than some NBA players before he got to the NBA.
How do you bring that.
Up without bringing up that Lebron James said quote, if you want me draft my son at this point, it.
Ain't about the money. I'll play for free. That was Lebron How is it? I mean, I understand cynics.
I understand this pension to just hate the player and not the game. I understand how it's tempting to just come at me because you might dislike me or might disagree with me, if you're Joe Public or Susie Public out there.
I get it. But don't the truth matter?
Because there's one person in this ordeal that's telling the truth, and it's me. I don't lie to y'all. His ass lies a lot, and there's a lot of shady stuff that he does. And one of the things is this passive aggressiveness and the two faces in this and smiling your face and dig you behind the back.
I happen to know that about him.
Which is why I don't like him and he don't like me. But it doesn't stop me from being fair and calling it like I see it. We ain't exchanging Christmas gifts, We ain't having Thanksgiving dinner together. What you bring your son up into there for which you bring your family up in there before you're gonna go on Pat McAfee show talk about you gonna protect your.
House talking about your son. Ain't at the house.
He's at Crypto dot Com arena. We ain't covering him in Brentwood. We covered him in downtown LA, at the Crypto dot Com arena where you put him.
Now.
I happen to believe that he's going to be ready. I think Bronni's gonna be an NBA player. I believe in the kid personally. But Lebron did this now to get to he and I could y'all please go back to the video of him getting in my face. If you watch Ladies and Gentlemen and you see it for yourself, notice how Lebron is in my face, and right when he finishes, he looks past me, right at the camera.
That was filming it. Watch them. I didn't even pick that up.
First go round. You got Markeith Morris to my right, his left. You got Scott Brooks, assistant coach behind him. He finishes talking and looks right up to the camera. Everybody and their mother knew I was gonna be there, because when you sit courtside, the Lakers have an idea of who's gonna show up.
He knew I was.
Coming and pick the third quarter in the middle of the game to say what he has to say, to make sure the camera is rolling, and to then look at the camera after immediately saying what he said to me, with me having no chance to respond. We could have went to the back after the game. Lebron James could have came right over the press row and said, Yo, don't leave. I want to see you after the game.
We gotta have a conversation and before any of these players or any professional athlete or anybody associated with them says another syllable. Think about this, ninety nine percent of y'all would have done that. Y'all said, Stephen, they don't leave. I ain't see you Bro after the game. Lebron didn't want that because Lebron would have had to deal with my response, and my response would have been, you did this,
This ain't me. Don't put this on me. Why the hell are you putting your son in this position knowing we got to cover him. If we don't cover him, we ain't doing our job. Why would you do that? That's what I would have said to him, But he didn't want a response. He didn't want that because Lebron wanted to give smoke. He didn't want to take any What am I talking about? I have even more nuggets
of info to give y'all on that point. Brother don't like smoke, He just likes to give it typical bully mentality. It ain't working with me. What am I talking about exactly? I'll tell you right after this.
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I'll give you my picks for two college basketball matchups taking place on Thursday, March twenty seventh, when the Duke Blue Devils take on the Arizona Wildcats and the Florida Gators take on the Maryland terror Pins.
So let's get to it. First.
Up, will Dukes Cooper Flag score more or less than zero?
Point five points. Please, scop, let's move on to the next one. Of course, it's more it's Cooper flag.
Next up, well, Arizona's Caleb Love score more or less than seventeen and a half points. This brother something else, and he's accustomed to going up against Duke. He knows how hype that is because he used to be at North Carolina. Look at what he's doing for Arizona now, seventeen and a half points. I know Duke's going to key on him because he's clearly the star for the Wildcats. But nevertheless, the brother can ball. I believe in love.
I got love for love. I'm gonna go with more on this one, two more than seventeen and a half points. Next up, well, Florida's Walter Clayton Junior score more or less than twenty points. For some reason, as special as this brother is, I'm suspecting it's gonna be less in this game. I just see him, you know, doing a lot more than just scoring, probably have about eighteen or nineteen points up to sist up the rebounds, that kind of thing. I'm gonna go with less for him on
this particular one. And finally, will Derek Queen of Maryland, the baby face Freshman More scored more or less than sixteen and a half points. I'm gonna go with more because the brothers got size, He's got skills, and he can get buckets at any given moment.
And when he's had a bad game, he scored around.
Sixteen to seventeen points, So why would I think it's gonna be less.
I'm gonna go with more on this one as well.
So let's recap to make sure that we touch on all of these guys once and for all. You got Cooper Flagg, you got Walter Clayton Junr. You got Caleb Love, and you got Derek Queen. More on all of them except Clayton Jr. I know, Oh that's risky, but I like to take risk on prospects. Taking risk usually leads to more money, and that's how I roll. Lebron is one of those dudes who believes he's up here and folks,
particularly in the media, are down here. There are exceptions, you know, in moments that he needs others, but that's who he is.
Cool. Lebron has a show called The Shop Once upon a Time, Rich Paul's.
The Maverick Carters came up to me, gotta have you on, gotta have you on, I said, simple and playing, no problem only in one condition.
Two conditions. I'm sorry.
Lebron must be there because there are times where the shop was heired that Lebron wasn't in attendance. I said, I show up. Lebron has to be there. Number one and number two. No editing, don't edit shit out, cliff note stuff, clip things.
Cut it out.
Nah, let the public see. I know if I told him to come off first take, he ain't gonna want to do that because he've viewsed that as benefiting me. I know that if I wanted him to come on this podcast, he viewed that as benefiting me.
Ladies and gentlemen.
I offered to come on his spot, name the time and place, and I'll show up by my damn self. I was never taken up on that offer, because you see, it's real easy to talk that talk like you got all the facts when I'm not there to respond.
It's another thing entirely if I'm near to refute all the bullshit coming out your mouth. But this is what he does, it's what he's always done.
And then he looks at everybody else, and he said this Stevede, Si man, please whatever, whatever. Why do I take this so seriously because you got cats out there trying to give the impression that I come after people's families. I need y'all a pause for one second, and I just need y'all to think. I'm just talking to the professional athletes out there. I'm not gonna even mention any names who have rallied to the support of Lebron like
he's this big victim. They are owners, there are general managers, there are coaches, there are other players and other sports, what have you. Nepotism exists in every form of business. We can muster in our minds. It's okay, it's okay, But when have you seen someone demand that the public stands down while somebody has lifted up their offspring before it was earned. When has that happened. I'm not talking about Bronnie now and what we're seeing. I'm not even
talking about Bronni from my mothergo or whatever. I'm just talking about in general, what the whole spectrum before he bounced the ball, What we saw, what we witnessed Lebron doing and manipulating. Tell me when we've seen somebody do that for someone who was universally recognized as not necessarily ready yet, not that he wouldn't be, but not necessarily ready yet.
That's what he asked of us.
So I again was talking about Dad as in YO, he's.
In public eye.
Don't expose him like this to us because we got a job to do.
Don't do that, That's all.
I wasn't the one that brought up the legitimacy of his McDonald's all American appearance on the roster.
Kenji Perkins did that. Numerous people pointed to other.
Folks in high school basketball at the time, and they were questioning their worthiness.
I didn't do that.
When had the heart ailment, Oh my god, I hope he's okay. We decided to pass up staying at USC and turn pro cool. When Opening Night took place in the Griffies were intended, I was in Crypto dot com rena standing clapping. All of that got ignored. Why didn't get ignored, ladies and gentlemen, because Lebron. It wasn't about the problem that Lebron had about his son. It was Lebron having a problem and finally finding an excuse to do what he always wanted to do, which was confront
me in an unfortunate and public platform. I'm not gonna go as far as I want to go in saying how weak that stuff is. In terms of how he confronted me, I would have waited. I got nothing to say to him.
Now.
You know, we'll probably never speak in life again. But if he wanted, you know, I wish he had the shop. I wish he invited me on, not my platform, his platform. You can't defend the stuff that he's done. You have no idea, but he knows. I know we want to go there. Let's go there slithering and just through stuff and always with the two faced nods up ooh, y'all
don't know the half y'all don't know. So when he went on Pat McAfee's show earlier today, it was no surprise, the show that comes on after first take, the show that stars me. I know that you got a new podcast coming out with Steve Nash. No surprise there, JJ Redick, Steve Nash, no surprise, got the podcast coming out. Definitely want to promote that basketball podcast and we should watch it.
We should learn because Lebron knows more basketball than most people forgot just like he said to Pat McAfee, his mind, he thinks the game. Most of these people rely on their athleticism and their talents and their skill. He relies on his brain. He's absolutely right, and he knows basketball backwards and forwards. That has nothing to do with how you've treated to people. That has nothing to do the things that you've said. That has nothing to do with
you confronting me about doing my job. And everybody wants to look at and say, as a father's a father's a father? Because I said as a father, I stand by that, not because he's Bronnie's father.
I stand by it.
Because he was the one putting everything on public display. We didn't have to know that he didn't care about you know, I'm sorry. We did not have to know.
That he.
Was willing to go someplace else practically for free. We did not have to know that it was not about the money. We did not have to hear him say you want me draft Bronnie. We did not have to hear him say, my son is better to have the players or some of the players.
In the NBA right now.
Before you ever played an NBA game, you did that.
That was Lebron James, who did that.
He wasn't asked that, he wasn't asked his level of copa billy and all of this. He goes on there and he talks Mack cool.
I got it. I got it. So it is what it is.
There's really not much else to say other than this, ladies and gentlemen, it's very important that you understand what I'm.
About to say to me. Anyway.
I'm not a liar. I might not like what I say. Every truth ain't meant to be told, but I don't go into airwaves and lie. I did not know we were being videoed at courtside. He was walking out of a timeout. I did not know initially that after he finished getting in my face he looked right up at the hamra.
Go back and look at the angle. I didn't know that. I didn't know that.
When I went on the air the next morning. We had a morning meeting, at which time I said to the staff at first tape, I don't feel like talking about this, And then minutes later they said, it's the number one trending topic in sports.
You have to talk about it. The bosses, you have to talk about it. What do you mean you ain't talking about it. This is what you do. This is sports.
This is a sports story, and it directly evolves you. What you mean you ain't talking about it? So he might think I'm salivating and I was happy to discuss it. I'm not happy to discuss the dude getting in my face telling me stops on his son. I'm not happy about that. I think Savannah is the first Lady of the NBA. I think she's an absolutely wonderful human being that has always been nothing but kind to me. You think I like the thought of pissing her off.
Gloria James.
An absolutely wonderful person that I have seen over the years and has never been anything but the most pleasant person in the world to me. I don't like the thought of upsetting her or anybody that cares about him. I certainly don't want to hurt Bronnie. I'm rooting for the kid. But the news is the news, the sport
is the sport, and the story was the story. So lebron can be say anything he wants and I wanted to talk about him or whatever, And I'm gonna continue to talk to you about about you, bro when you retire, let's see how much I talk to you about you, then you won't matter much. I promise you, I won't be talking about you much when you stop playing. As long as you're playing, I'm gonna talk about you because that's my job, and i'm gonna be very objective about it.
You deserve praise and give it to you. You deserve criticism. I'm gonna give that to but at least I'm going to tell the truth instead of lying. Like Lebron James has been lying, using his son as an excuse to say what he said to me. He has a problem with me. He knows good and damn well, I wasn't shitting on his son. He has a problem, and instead of talking to me about it, he came at me when I was in in a position to respond, and then when he wanted to respond in a lap, he
went to Pat McAfee. Major props to Pat McFee again forgetting it. Anybody would have gotten it. Damn it, you did it. I have no problem with Pat McAfee whatsoever what he did with this interview. I'm not insulted or offended or betrayed by a teammate.
Or anything like that. That's nonsense. He did the right thing. Lebron is the coprid here. But far be it for me to say that about King.
James Kings don't get blames. I guess that's why he's not my king. I got more to say about some things he said about other people during this interview with Pat McAfee in a minute, right after I pay these bills. All right, everybody, listen up with all the big time sports action that's happening each and every day, The Stephen Nate Smith Show wants to make sure you are taking advantage of it all. That's why we've partnered with the Prize Picks, the best place to win cash while watching sports.
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You know, this is what happens. This is what happens when it comes to Lebron James. And by the.
Way, this is the thing that is just so funny. You know, weeks ago when I got annoyed as something he said he was talking about people shitting on the game every day. Wasn't it Lebron James that should it on the NBA in the playing tournament. Wasn't it Lebron James that showed up and notified the NBA at the last minute that he wasn't gonna be participating an NBA All Star Weekend. I don't know whether it was because he didn't like its new format or not.
Wasn't it Lebron.
James who were reportedly sitting in the locker room with players and Doctor j and Larry Bird talked to the players about playing hard and giving the fans what they want to see and how important All Star Weekend was and the NBA thought that the players really really had bought in until Lebron James gave them, gave the players a side eye, and then all of a sudden, they went out and allowed almost four hundred points to be scored in the last All Star Game before this just passed,
before this one just passing twenty twenty five?
Wasn't that Lebron.
I told y'all when he took his talents to South Beach, and nobody gonna say I had to complain about that. My complaint was about Kevin Durant going to Golden State after being up three to one, losing the series to them, and then joining them a month later.
But we've been passed that.
We've been over that, and I wish Kevin Durant nothing but the best clownish comments about me at all. But Lebron James. I certainly never had a problem with Lebron James going to Miami. Nothing's more special than South Beach, and that brother had me in South Beach four consecutive Junes.
I was grateful to Lebron James. I wasn't mad, But when he decided to take his talents to South Beach and did so without showing the corner in respect of at least giving Dan Gilbert a heads up that that was what he was going to do, because he decided to, you know, run an event essentially with Jim graysonting down
and he called. He talked about generating over two and a half million dollars for a worthy cause, fair enough, but it being televised on ESPN, and ultimately making his announcement that he was taking his talents to South Beach. Did y'all remember what happened in the aftermath of that?
Remember a collective bargaining negotiation that followed where players were stripped to seven percent of basketball related income, I mean commission at stern and those guys were coming forward anyway, but nevertheless they're angs to do so.
Definitely was heightened after that.
Remember when Chris Paul got moved and got traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. But Dan Gilbert, who had nothing to do with the deal whatsoever, wrote an open letter to the league going absolutely ballistic as to how the Lakers could get the very very best player in that trade, which was Chris Paul, and basically come out with not
even having to pay but so much for it. They were actually making money while trading for Chris Paul and acquiring Chris Paul in the process, and David Stern to the facto owner for the New Orleans Pelicans at the time, because obviously they didn't have new ownership, so the league the facto owned it for the moment in time. Nick the deal well, while was Dan Gilbert so insistent on not minding his business and speaking out against this socifferously because he was still pissed off at how he was
treated by Lebron James. See, Lebron gets his money, but this collateral damage that he leaves in this wake all over the place, and other players don't usually see that until it's too late.
But we don't talk about that because he's box office.
And he's phenomenal, and he's on the Mount Rushmore Basketball and where he goes. Ratings follow and because of that, we gloss over those facts. But those ain't the only facts we gloss over. When Lebron talked about the media weeks ago, what does he do now? He comes on Pat McAfee's show to Get Again.
Today and listen to what he had to say. Listen closely, check it out.
See a lot of shit too. Like I seen Brian Wainhurst on one of these shows not too long ago, like you guys played together. Guy was like, you know, he says he's like my best friend. These guys was just this is weird.
I have worked with Brian Windhors for years. Never once did he say that Lebron was a best friend. A matter of fact, years earlier, it was Lebron who sat in front of the microphones and said, probably nobody knows me better than Brian Windhors, who's been covering me since I was in junior high school. But that's how he talked about him. Brian Windhorse is an exceptional commentator who does a phenomenal job for ESPN my show Get Up
NBA Today, Sports Centers goes and covers the game. He is one of the elite people covering the NBA in this world.
And nobody, I repeat nobody defense Lebron James more than that man.
And look at what Lebron James did. Y'all have watched Wendy report for yours. Tell me one time, tell me one thing that Brian went to us has done to negatively impact Lebron James one take your time. I'll wait, nobody is more fair. Nobody digs deeper, maneuvers through the crevices to find the positive about Lebron James, no matter what the story is.
But that's how Lebron talked about him. You don't stop that. Though.
He also went into today's players compared to yester year. I thought that was a subject he didn't want to touch. I thought that we should just have an appreciation for the game and not really really compare. Lebron James is one of the people that told us that until he had the platform event, and look at what he.
Said every single day that he's better. He's not better.
He wouldn't.
You're trying to tell me Jannis wouldn't be able to play an NBA game in the seventies.
He wouldn't be able to do.
Jannis answer the Koupo would have two hundred and fifty points in a game in the seventies.
Two hundred and fifty.
Perhaps, But wasn't that disrespectful to the pioneers who paved the way for this game, Ladies and gentlemen. Would Julius Irvin have been who he was if it were not for Connie Hawkins, would Michael Jordan had had a model to emulate and elevate beyond. If it were not for Julius Irvin. What about Vince Carter when it comes to Michael Jordan, What about Kobe Bryant when it comes to Michael Jordan. What about Shaq when it came to Wilt or Kareem or Elajahwan?
What about the birds of the world when you think about uh Jerry West, when.
You think about somebody like that, the Kobe's of the world, the MJ's of the world.
There was no elgen Bela or Oscar Robinson before them.
You see, the point is you use previous greatness to measure what the level of greatness is currently as times have evolved, and you show an appreciation for it, you don't get upset because people are out there comparing one to the other. You're talking about championships, you're talking about leadership, you're talking about durability, which obviously Lebron is tops at, not only capabilities which he's on the Mount R's why
he's on the Mount Rushmore. I could simply sit up there and say, you know what, Giannis would have got his Jiannie would have been great, but he also would have got knocked on his ass a lot, and he would have went to the free throw line, and the fifth throw line was his achilles heel. With the exception of that game six closed out against Phoenix in the finals, free throws have always been his achilles heel.
But he's phenomenal.
We're able to look and we're able to say, as we look at the great Alan Iverson and we look at some of the great great small guards in NBA history, we also have to take tom to pause and remind them about this dude named Isaiah Thomas who was phenomenal.
With a heart and guts and.
The leader of the physical bad boy Pistons. We look at the game, we talk about Steph Curry, the greatest shoot of God has ever created. Oh, by the way, he plays a point guard, and oh, my lord, the greatest point guard.
And then a guy like Eddie Johnson.
For NBA Today or NBA Radio on Sirius Exem reminds us all, wait a minute. My definition of a point guard is a quintessential floor facilitator, a floor general who facilitates for others, facilitates opportunities for others. That's why Steph Curry can't get that that's got to be magic Johnson.
It's a crime to.
Bring up history, to look at the game and to compare it, and I.
Have an opinion about it.
When the conversation unquestionably and undeniably involves greatness, if you're not great, you're not a part of that conversation.
Nobody views that as a crime.
But that man that showed up on Pat McAfee's show today because he must be to go. It can't be anything else. You lost six NBA Finals. There is a the Finals against Dallas that you specifically choked in four consecutive fourth quarters of an NBA Finals series against Dirk Novisky and the Dallas maverage with Jason Terry or JJ Brea, who resembled many me standing next to you guarding you and you averaged two point two points.
And Arter.
As great as you are, had nothing to do with your skill, had nothing to do with their zone defense, had nothing to do with your capabilities, had everything to do with your heart. The rest of us didn't have the skill. You had everything, but also a ten man syndrome at that time. Once you learned to win, nothing could stop you. If we only went about Lebron, if we only looked at Lebron james career since he won
his first championship. Ladies and gentlemen, we could have the goat conversation because since he started winning, My god, it is what it is.
But before that.
That heart transplant that he needed, it is my belief Michael Jordan would have been in the hospital blocking the door every single time, figuratively speaking, to prevent him from having that heart transplant shut him down, took his heart right out of his chest, and wouldn't it allowed him to have another heart.
That's the difference. That's how I feel.
Others may think differently, clearly that man does, and y'all will just sit here and act like that had nothing to do with him getting in my face.
No, no, all.
Remember how I told you all the story about I'd look at rich Paul in them and I say, damn it, I got him on the Mount Rushboll I got him number two all time, and y'all.
Act like it's an insult. And Rich Paul looked at me and said, it is an insult. Where you get that from?
Not to say that Rich Paul doesn't think for himself, because I know he does, but that man feels that way. No, he doesn't like me. I don't like him either my feelings about him or what they are, and it's based on personal interactions and what I've seen in terms of how I believe he's treated others. It's my opinion. It's none of anybody's business beyond that. His feelings are about me talking about basketball, and y'all gonna let him get away.
We're trying to classify me as somebody who would talk about him as a dad, as if I exposed something that was happening in the privacy of their home in Brentwood somewhere, as opposed to me talking about what's going on in the Lakers' uniform at the Crypto dot Com arena or elsewhere.
Y'all go let me get away with that. Y'all go right ahead.
I don't have to approach this subject anymore, but I will broach Lebron James any damn time I please. As long as he's playing this game. He's a relevant sports news topic, and I'm going to do my job professionally and ethically. I don't have to like him to do that, and he doesn't have to like me in order for me to do it. I don't get paid to talk to him. I get paid to talk about him. I would tell him he's welcome to talk to me anytime,
but we all know that ain't gonna happen. As I told y'all before early in the show, just to make sure that it wasn't something that I would benefit from in terms of ratings or anything like that, I offered to come on a shop when they confronted me. This was a couple of years ago. It's never happened because it's a little bit different when you got to say some of the stuff right in front of the person, and a person has facts to refute what you're saying.
Maybe that's why he didn't want to meet me in the back after the game to have a conversation at the Lakers game. Maybe that's why he didn't come up to me and say wait for me, and he talked to you. Maybe maybe that's why he didn't want to have to deal with a real conversation about all the things that he's done to create this whole brew.
Ah. I get it.
I'm not going away, ladies and gentlemen. I don't have to talk to Lebron James. I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm doing fine. There All beat writers and other reporters that have to talk to him, I don't, and to be quite honest with you, at this point, don't much want to.
I wish him well. I'm looking forward to covering him.
As his career slowly crawls to its end, and I'll be one of the first thanking him for the greatness he's put on display as a basketball player. I, like everybody else, will miss him when he's gone.
As a man. In terms of how I firmly believe he elected to handle this situation with the cameraman behind him and all this other stuff. I think it's shady as hell. That's how I feel.
That's where I stand, and it's little to nothing that he can do to change my mind at this point. God bless him and his family. Wish him nothing but the best. Look forward to talking y'all about other NBA topics as well. And I don't give it damn what y'all said. It was no way in hell I was gonna let that man talk to bs that he spewed today, and I have a response to it that was not gonna happen. I'm out y'all, this is Stephen Aismith show signing off. I see you in a couple of days.
Pace of love,