LeBron James is 41 years old, he has played a million minutes, he has seen it all, but apparently, he still forgets that microphones exist.
During the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers game, the King got caught on a hot mic, and not just whispering sweet basketball poetry. No, he was trashing Stephen A. Smith while chatting it up with Zion Williamson. Yes, Stephen A., he loud one, the walking debate show and the human exclamation point.
Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ 110-101 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, James engaged in a brief conversation with Zion Williamson.
Before the matchup, Williamson was in the news after Smith brutally criticized him regarding his weight and conditioning. It was after the Pelicans star hinted that he was wrongly critiqued when nursing a foot injury that kept him out long-term over the past couple of seasons.
“F*ck all that bullshit about Stephen A”
– LeBron to Zion after the game.
LMFAOOOOOOOOOOO pic.twitter.com/TjILsiKOzq
— BronMuse (@BronMuse) March 4, 2026
Smith was one of his critics and took exception to Williamson’s comments. He said that Williamson’s problem was food and joked that he hid it under his bed in a bold rant on Tuesday’s episdoe of “First Take.”
LeBron James’ brief conversation with Zion Williamson suggested that he told the Pelicans star to block out the noise.
“F*k all that bulls**t About Stephen A.,” James was heard telling Williamson.
You just know Stephen A. is preparing a 12-minute monologue. He will lean forward, remove his glasses and say, “Let me be very, very clear.” And then he will cook for the entire segment.
Wow: LeBron James actually left the team huddle before the fourth quarter to confront Stephen A. Smith 😳
(via @LADEig, @TheFlightMike, @legendz_nba) pic.twitter.com/USi9s0V43y
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) March 7, 2025
LeBron, though, will likely shrug. He has survived every turbulence in the world of basketball. A hot mic moment? Light work.
At the end of the day, this is the NBA, it’s drama, it’s entertainment and it’s reality TV with better sneakers.
Stephen A Smith with a message to LeBron James:
“We don’t like each other. The world needs to know that.. I hope he’s watching. I think he crossed the line with the incident involving his son. I don’t think I did what he said I was doing. I thought that was unfair and a low… pic.twitter.com/vqO4cXZMB9
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) February 26, 2026
One thing is certain: if you’re going to trash a famous sports analyst during a live game, maybe double-check your mic status, because in today’s league, the real MVP might just be the audio guy.
