Charles Barkley calls Stephen A Smith 'lame and weak' after ESPN star fires back at LeBron James

Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley weighed successful connected the feud betwixt ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith and Los Angeles Lakers prima LeBron James during a vigor quality connected Friday.

Smith and James traded barbs successful abstracted media appearances passim the week. It came aft James confronted Smith during a Lakers crippled implicit comments the hot-take aficionado made astir his son, Bronny. Smith maintained that thing idiosyncratic had been said. Smith upped the ante by mentioning the idiosyncratic issues helium could person said astir LeBron James but didn’t.

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College hoops expert Charles Barkley connected aerial earlier the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four title game. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

Barkley analyzed the warfare of words during an quality connected "The Dan Patrick Show." He said some Smith and James had beauteous atrocious weeks.

"They some had an atrocious week," helium said. "LeBron, he's excessively large to beryllium that benignant of bully. To bully Stephen A. and to bully Brian Windhorst. . . .  Brian Windhorst, he’s a saccharine person, man. He’s conscionable trying to bash his thing. And I've ever liked LeBron, but him being a bully, it turned maine off.

"But I volition accidental this: Stephen A., the mode helium reacted was truthful lame and weak. Stephen A.'s a bully dude, man. LeBron, I blasted him for starting the bullying, going connected Pat's amusement conscionable bullying people, due to the fact that you cognize LeBron, he's a power freak. He knows everything he's doing. He knew erstwhile helium walked up to Stepen A., helium knew what helium was doing. But the mode Stephen A. reacted, going connected (Gilbert Arenas’) podcast, talking tough, travel on, man, you're amended than that.

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Stephen A. Smith and LeBron James person traded barbs this week. (IMAGN)

"There’s are lone losers successful this scenario. You got the biggest prima successful the game, you astir apt got the biggest prima connected tv and they some look bad. And what bothers maine the astir is they’re some bully dudes. I don’t caput radical who are an a—hole looking bad. I don’t caput that astatine each due to the fact that they merit it. But Stephen A. is simply a bully dude and LeBron is simply a bully dude. But they some look truly atrocious this week LeBron started it. Stephen A., I’m not definite what helium was trying to bash . . . helium conscionable made it worse and worse and worse."

It's unclear whether the narration volition ever beryllium repaired. Smith has said that James is lone huffy astatine him due to the fact that of his sentiment that the Lakers prima volition ne'er surpass Michael Jordan arsenic the top hoops subordinate of each time.

Smith had to retract 1 remark helium made astir James attending Kobe Bryant’s memorial. Smith said James wasn’t determination erstwhile helium was astatine the February 2020 event. James was conscionable retired of the spotlight.

"My apologies and clarification. I misspoke successful Hour#1 of @FirstTake contiguous erstwhile I intimated that LeBron did not be Kobe Bryant’s memorial. I corrected myself successful Hour#2 erstwhile I acknowledged helium was so successful attendance," helium wrote connected X.

Jan. 21, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona: Phoenix Suns erstwhile subordinate Charles Barkley successful attendance astatine Footprint Center. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA Today Sports)

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"My mistake. Should not person adjacent broached that subject. It was not my main point. I retract NOTHING other that I said. Have a bully day!"

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