Stephen A Smith is an unstoppable force in the sports talk television world and that has been true for the last 13 years. When he was ousted by ESPN in the late 2000s, it seemed as though his career aspirations had been decimated. However, he worked his way back up the ladder and in 2012, Skip Bayless and the executives at ESPN gave him another chance. His arrival on First Take turned the show into a ratings darling and a star was born. Since that time, Smith has become the most famous sports journalist in the world and that is not an exaggeration. His star power is undeniable, and he has taken full advantage of this. After all, you don't get a $100 million deal with ESPN by being boring.
However, his deal with ESPN came as a bit of a surprise given the fact that he has been dipping his toes into politics. Numerous appearances on Fox News' Hannity and his interviews with right-wing figures like Candace Owens, Ben Shapiro, and Bill O'Reilly made it seem like he was ready to go full steam ahead into political commentary. This pivot has actually been quite jarring for fans to witness. While Smith has always stirred the pot politically on First Take, no one would have expected him to start cozying up with fascists.
Smith is someone who had been very critical of Donald Trump during his first term as president. However, during the most recent Presidential election, you could tell that Smith was smelling something in the air. The world has become more reactionary. Platforms like Twitter (we're not calling it X) have become more racist, more transphobic, more xenophobic, and quite frankly, a lot more anti-social. Those who used to "resist" the previous Republican administration are now simply acquiescing to their vice grip over political life in the United States. Right-wing grifting has become extremely profitable. To be fair, it always was. But now more than ever before, tailoring your rhetoric to the right allows you to become a darling of the lowest common denominator.
If we want to be charitable, perhaps Smith was simply sitting down with these people to get a better read on his political enemies. Recent events prove this isn't true. A petty beef with LeBron James is now ruling the news cycle. If there is one athlete the right has despised over the years, it is LeBron James. If there is one way to ingratiate yourself with the right, it is to beef with LeBron James.
Stephen A Smith Vs. LeBron James
A few weeks ago, Stephen A Smith took aim at LeBron James for his involvement in getting Bronny James into the NBA. Bronny's NBA aspirations have come with lots of controversy. There are many who believe the young baller didn't deserve to be drafted. Many felt like his one year in college wasn't enough to prepare him for the league. Some felt like it was a cynical way for LeBron to get one over on Michael Jordan and add a notch in his belt that MJ simply could never have. These criticisms are valid and while Bronny has vastly improved as a professional basketball player, there is no doubt that the pressure on him is immense.
Unfortunately, pundits like Smith have taken the Bronny criticism a step further by questioning LeBron's role as a father. In a now-infamous First Take segment, Stephen A. told LeBron to stop pushing Bronny on the Lakers. It was a melodramatic attempt at taking LeBron to task, but instead, it caused a lot more harm than good. It was the kind of segment that could have done serious damage in the James household. If LeBron really is this monster who is exploiting his kid, what could that mean for 17-year-old Bryce, or 10-year-old Zhuri?
A few weeks later, LeBron would confront Stephen A. courtside at a Lakers game. It was a viral moment that had NBA fans in stitches as Smith was damn near shaking in his boots. It made Smith look small. An ego-damaging moment that was unacceptable for a figure who has done everything they can to appear so grandiose in their profession.
Smith then went on a media tour talking about the confrontation, claiming that LeBron was weak for what he did. Like a grifter so desperately would, he tried to make his opponent look "triggered." Imagining himself in a "Ben Shapiro OWNS Woke College Student" video, Stephen A. did everything he could to make himself look like the "Alpha" in the situation. It was right out of the conservative playbook, and quite frankly, it was pathetic.
Yesterday, LeBron James appeared on The Pat McAfee Show. This was a calculated move given the fact that there have been rumors of a beef between McAfee and Smith. During the show, LeBron called out Smith for going on a media tour following their confrontation. It was tongue-in-cheek but also incredibly instigative. Smith took the bait and has been all over the airwaves slandering LeBron into oblivion. From bloviations about Kobe Bryant's funeral to Dwyane Wade's Hall of Fame induction, Smith was livid. Not to mention, a lot of these declarations were flat out lies, which is yet another tactic typically used by political grifters.
Dare we say it, Smith's response to the LeBron beef has been inherently Trumpian in nature. A temper tantrum of epic proportions. While sports fans see right through it, there is one demographic that loves this stuff. They foam at the mouth for it. At this very moment, Smith is a hero of Fox News-watching boomers, the right-wing media class, and well, the type of racist who says things like "shut up and dribble."
LeBron James And The American Right
It won't take much convincing to make you understand why beefing with LeBron would make Stephen A Smith a hero of the right-wing. After all, LeBron endorsed Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris for the office of President of the United States. In between those endorsements, he has been very critical of President Trump and has not taken his foot off of the gas. Moreover, he was one of many to kneel during the anthem while playing in the Orlando NBA bubble. If it weren't for LeBron's leadership, we wouldn't have had the Black Lives Matter messaging on the NBA courts during this time. The political messages on the back of players jerseys also wouldn't have been possible without James.
All of these factors have made LeBron a target of people like Laura Ingraham who very famously told him to "shut up and dribble." The racial implications in a statement like that are quite clear. Of course, the right's hatred of LeBron goes well beyond just Fox News. The President himself has made numerous bizarre statements about James over the years, while publications like Outkick were created to pander to right-wing sports fans who had a bone to pick with outspoken athletes like LeBron.
While Stephen A Smith is not criticizing LeBron's political viewpoints, he is still positioning himself as some sort of adversary to James. He has gone after the superstar's parenting, something that goes well beyond the basketball court. Even Skip Bayless, a day one LeBron hater, wouldn't stoop this low. Instead, Smith's obsession with LeBron has reached fanatical levels. It has become spectacle over substance. What makes this so insidious is Smith knows he's wrong. But that is part of the grift. At the end of the day, Stephen A. wants one thing. Views. More views equals more fame. More fame equals more money. LeBron is a target that nets him all of the above and it makes him that much more beloved by the Ingraham's, O'Reilly's, and Hannity's of the world. It's no coincidence that Smith's new fascination with the right also aligns with his newfound distaste for LeBron.
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What Is A Grifter?
At this point, some of you may be asking yourselves: what is a grifter? It is a valid question. It's important to note that having right wing or left wing views doesn't inherently make you a grifter. Grifting is a phenomenon that happens on every aisle of the political spectrum. However, right-wing grifting has proven especially profitable as of late. After all, those with the deepest pockets are typically the ones who have the most to gain from a Trump presidency and a more reactionary general public.
But to answer the question, it's a culmination of multiple factors. Grifters typically take the path of least resistance. They change their opinions and twist their morals in knots in order to pander to a specific group of people. This is typically done for some sort of financial gain or political power. There is usually very little room for nuance when you are a grifter. Things are black and white, spoken in absolutes. Kanye West is a great example. Sure, one can say mental health all they want. But the guy went from saying "George Bush doesn't care about black people" to hanging out with white supremacists like Nick Fuentes, all while wearing Nazi regalia. With the Overton window shifting in startling directions, doing stuff like this is both easy and profitable.
Look at Stephen A Smith right now. This week he shared an interview with Ben Shapiro, who just argued for the pardoning of Derek Chauvin. Four years ago, Smith would have never dreamed of having someone like that on his show. Shapiro's position is sociopathic and while Smith debated him on it, one could argue this interview was purely for spectacle. The right is winning the culture war, and Smith is enjoying the fruits before they spoil. Even an interview with Candace Owens is completely unfathomable given Smith's past political leanings. While these people will always have large platforms, it feels odd that Stephen A would expose his audience to fringe ideologues. When contrasted with his beef with LeBron James, it almost feels as though Smith is trying to impress his new friends. An audition of sorts to prove that the once respected and pioneering sports journalist can swing it in right-wing media.
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Stephen A Smith Is No Better Than Enes Kanter
At this stage of his career, Stephen A Smith is no better than someone like Enes Kanter, who has spent the last five years of his life being a LeBron critic. In fact, Kanter turned his LeBron criticisms into the Fox Nation "Patriot of the Year" award in 2022. Kanter was a fringe NBA player and had beef with LeBron during his time with the New York Knicks. When he retired, he used his leverage as a Turkish National to take on LeBron's position on China. The right loved this and it got him speaking engagements as well as the aforementioned "Patriot of the Year" award. However, his career in grifting has since fizzled out as the right got what it needed out of him.
If Smith continues down this path, he could be in for the same fate. However, the key difference here is that Smith has much more clout than Kanter and could make it on his own if he had to. But Stephen A needs to realize, as quickly as the right props you up, they will take you down just as fast. Hopefully, becoming "Patriot of the Year" in 2025 is worth it.
