ESPN analyst Stephen A Smith calls out Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James for his comments about Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards on being the face of the NBA and the responsibility that comes with it. James warned Edwards of the daily scrutiny that comes with being the face of the league, which Smith took exception to.
Smith took James’ words personally as an NBA media member, per ESPN’s First Take.
“That’s some BS. I’m a call it like I see it; that’s some straight BS,” Smith said. “I’m not saying everything that he said was BS because I understand that there’s an enormous amount of pressure that gets elevated when it comes to being the face of the league — I understand that — but I don’t appreciate what he said. I really don’t. Let’s understand what the backdrop of all of this is. This is fresh off of All-Star weekend, an All-Star weekend that LeBron James elected to show up for and not to participate in.”
While discussing some of LeBron’s missteps, Smith also mentioned that former NBA players are also part of the media today, and being the topic of a particular debate doesn’t always cast the league’s superstars in a negative light.
“There’s an abundance of things that have been going on throughout the career of LeBron James and this league,” Smith added. “I’d like to remind LeBron James, first of all, there’s a whole bunch of people that cover the league, they’re former players. Oh, yeah. They’re former players. They’re not just reporters. They’re former player, former big-time players, former Hall of Fame players; they talk about the league, too.
“And it’s reminiscent of what I said about Kevin Durant, when I said, can anybody talk about ya’ll? Is everything negative?”
.@stephenasmith says he “doesn’t appreciate” LeBron’s comments on Anthony Edwards becoming the face of the league
pic.twitter.com/EZjDrxZxcg
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 28, 2025
Stephen A Smith also mentioned the ripple effect of Lakers superstar James’ decisions from earlier in his career, such as not participating in the Dunk Contest, “The Decision,” and his time with the Cleveland Cavs.
LeBron James reacts to Anthony Edwards’ ‘face of the NBA’ take
Lakers superstar LeBron James understands why Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards doesn’t want to be the face of the NBA. After James gave teammate Luka Doncic advice this week, he addressed Edwards after Thursday’s win.
James questioned why anyone would want to be the face of the association, per Spectrum Sports Net.
“Why do you wanna 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*** on everybody? To have that responsibility is weird. It’s weird energy,” James said.
For James, it’s the price for being the face of the NBA.
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