{"id":643519,"date":"2026-05-14T22:42:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T22:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/643519\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T22:42:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T22:42:10","slug":"stephen-a-smith-claims-lakers-dont-particularly-like-lebron-james","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/643519\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen A. Smith claims Lakers \u2018don\u2019t particularly like\u2019 LeBron James"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stephen A. Smith claims Lakers \u2018don\u2019t particularly like\u2019 LeBron James<\/a> appeared first on ClutchPoints<\/a>. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As speculation continues to build on whether or not future NBA Hall of Famer LeBron James<\/a> has potentially played his final game in a <\/a>Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> uniform, noted NBA Insider Stephen A. Smith is pouring fuel on the fire.<\/p>\n

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During a recent airing of First Take, the outspoken Smith hinted that the Lakers aren\u2019t particularly fond<\/a> of James and how he attempts to control the narrative surrounding himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave the Lakers taken LeBron James for granted? Sure, you could make that argument\u2026.they don\u2019t particularly like him,\u201d Smith said via First Take on X. \u201cThat\u2019s what this is about, more so than anything else. They\u2019ll never admit it. There will be denials all over the place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they made the trade for Russell Westbrook<\/a> that ended up being disastrous, they felt like LeBron wasn\u2019t accepting accountability,\u201d Smith continued. \u201cWhen there were narratives put out there that the organization was the issue and not LeBron James, they knew it wasn\u2019t them putting that stuff out there. As great as he is, and he\u2019s on the Mt. Rushmore of NBA basketball, one of the greatest players to ever live, he\u2019s also one of the greatest manipulators of narratives we\u2019ve ever seen. There\u2019s very few people on planet Earth more skilled at controlling narratives than him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, James himself said that he\u2019s not entirely sure<\/a> what the future holds for him.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhat my future holds, I don\u2019t know,\u201d James said via Yahoo Sports.\u00a0\u201cObviously, we\u2019re still fresh from losing. I don\u2019t know. I don\u2019t know what the future holds for me as it stands right now tonight. I got a lot of time, I\u2019ll sit back and recalibrate with my family. Talk with them, spend some time with them and when the time comes, you guys will know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related: Kevin Garnett rips Paul Pierce over International vs. American players<\/a><\/p>\n

Related: Lisa Leslie hits Lakers fans hating on LeBron James with Kobe Bryant truth<\/a><\/p>\n