Since being accosted by LeBron James during a Knicks game, Stephen A. Smith has been quite busy. Smith already had a lot on his plate. After LBJ challenged him for disparaging his son and his parenting, he started listening to a lot of podcasts. Smith took full advantage of the conflict cow, from Gil’s Arena to rejoining Skip Bayless.
Smith’s primary goal was to demonstrate that LeBron was mistaken to caution him on the floor and that he was correct all along. Several people on the internet thought it unusual that he was taking this stance after saying absolutely nothing to his face.
ESPN Producer’s Viral Rant on Stephen A. Smith
It turns out that it wasn’t just the fans who thought it unusual. In a purportedly leaked audio clip, ESPN & SportsCenter producer and assignment editor Ryan Bertrand expressed similar sentiments.
James O’Keefe shared the leaked audio tape on X, claiming that Bertrand spoke with a source from O’Keefe Media Group.
According to Bertrand: “Stephen A. has been talking about LeBron’s son, Bronny for a while. LeBron confronted him at a game one time and ever since that Stephen A.’s been on four different podcasts, basically like, ‘I thought it was a weak move, coming up to me and whatnot.’”
According to the supposed ESPN producer, network employees have been “rolling our eyes” at this “embarrassing thing.”
ESPN LEAKS: OMG Obtains Audio of @ESPN Producer Calling @stephenasmith an “Angry Black Man,” Says Staff “Think He’s Crazy” and “Has No Idea” About Politics
Amid Smith’s ongoing discussions about the Middle East, leaked audio reveals an ESPN producer questioning his credibility… pic.twitter.com/a0twbLJFPa
— James O’Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) March 21, 2025
Bertrand disclosed: “They [ESPN staff] just think he’s crazy, just trying to create attention, you know? Which is his job,” “What you say is not necessarily important, it’s more how loud you are,”
“He goes on Fox News, probably like once a week, and he’ll talk about Gaza, and he has no idea about Gaza,”
ESPN and SAS have not yet responded to this purportedly leaked audio. One thing is certain, though: NBA players and fans don’t believe the story Smith attempted to tell after his incident with LeBron. Smith needs to start seeing that they are calling a spade a spade as soon as possible.
