The longstanding rift between Stephen A. Smith and Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is s well known — they simply don’t see eye to eye. However, personal feelings aside, Smith has no qualms about giving credit where it is due.
In that regard, he praised James for his role in the Lakers’ recent surge, which has entrenched them as the third seed in the cutthroat Western Conference.
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A lot of noise around LeBron
James has spent his entire 23-year NBA career dealing with a lot of noise and narratives. There just hasn’t been any way around it, and this season has been no different.
With the King set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, talks about his future have been nonstop. While to some, dealing with all the incessant queries and speculations can be overwhelming, to James, it’s normal.
Aside from not paying any mind to all that, he continues to put on one outstanding performance after another, showing everyone he still has plenty left in the tank — and can hit another gear whenever it matters most.
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“I think it’s phenomenal. I think there’s no way around it,” Smith said on “First Take.”
“Think about the storylines that have surrounded him. Is this his last time in a Laker uniform? The Lakers, with Luka Donic, clearly having moved on — do they even want LeBron James? Should he want to be there?” he continued. “What legitimacy is there to, you know, his championship aspirations if he stays in LA? Doesn’t he need to depart from Cleveland?”
“All of this noise has been made, and all they’ve been doing ever since is winning,” he said.
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Outside of the reigning champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, no team has been hotter than the Purple and Gold. Winners of eight in a row, James has been a key part of their recent success, putting up incredible numbers without being ball-dominant.
Leaders know when to step back
As a player who has been the centerpiece of every offense throughout his career, it can’t be easy to step back, give up the ball, and let someone else take over. Yet that’s exactly what James has done, taking the fewest shots of his storied career and showing that, in this case, less truly is more.
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“He has been an incredible contributor to their winning ways. He has stepped up when he needed to step up. not taking more than 15 shots in a game on several occasions, being deferential,” Smith pointed out.
He added that throughout NBA history, NBA icons have faltered when they don’t have the ball in their hands — Allen Iverson and Paul Pierce immediately come to mind. However, James has done this with ease this season.
“All he does is go out there and not just play deferentially to Luka Doncic — he also does so to Austin Reaves. Austin Reaves goes down, he gets injured, he comes back, he allows Austin Reaves to work his way back into things,” Smith said. “The unselfishness, the leadership, you just can’t question it.”
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“This man has been an exceptional leader. He’s been an exceptional champion. He’s been an exceptional winner. And he’s showing it as we speak,” he concluded.
James has undoubtedly lifted the Lakers’ ceiling this season, leading with both his timeless skills and unselfish approach to the game. In fact, instead of sitting out the second night of a back-to-back, the 41-year-old played against the Miami Heat, which was his 1,611th regular-season game, tying Robert Parish’s record for most games played in league history.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Mar 20, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.