Stephen A. Smith recently faced criticism from LeBron James for his comments regarding Bronny James's basketball abilities. LeBron expressed his displeasure on social media, prompting a response from Smith.
"I don't think it speaks well for somebody who—like, don't you have the day off?" Gottlieb responded while calling into Fox Sports Radio, where he still hosts a show, on Monday. "Don't you have better things to do? My response is: Colin told me a long time ago, 'Don't punch down. Always punch up.' So me talking trash to him would technically be punching up. And him, it's punching down.
"So I don't know. I guess pettiness and insecurity aren't limited to people who aren't super successful in their field. I guess that would be my response. ... It doesn't make any sense. Why on a Presidents' Day Monday, when you have the day off, are you worried about me? I'm not really sure." He went on to note that it is his job to give sports opinions online—is LeBron mad "because I didn't think Bronny should be a McDonald's All-American? Or shouldn't have been an NBA draft pick? O.K."It can be assumed that James was belatedly reacting to Gottlieb's comments from over the summer, when he said he didn't think Bronny JamesSo you can sort of see both sides here.
But on the other hand, plenty of analysts and commentators have said the same thing about Bronny—why is just Gottlieb getting the smoke?. Or maybe he just had the time Monday and believed Green Bay’s abysmal record was the perfect way in. My money is on the last option, but who is to say.Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.
LEBRON JAMES STEPHEN A. SMITH BRONY JAMES NBA BASKETBALL
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