Dwyane Wade Shares Honest Thoughts On LeBron James, Stephen A. Smith Feud
03/15/2025 12:23 PM
The LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith discussion has taken a life of its own over the last week, as it seems that everyone with an opinion on basketball has weighed in.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar confronted the ESPN personality after Smith made comments about LeBron's son Bronny. James asked Smith to stop, but Smith doubled down on his remarks, calling James' decision to confront him at a game "weak."
Most fans and analysts have taken James' side in the situation, especially after Smith's insistence that James created the issue in the first place by giving his son a path to the NBA.
One of James' closest friends and most notable former teammates, Dwyane Wade, reacted to the feud and explained his stance on the matter.
"I love both guys," Wade told TMZ this week. "I had a conversation with Stephen A. about it and I told him if I was LeBron, I would have walked up on him the same way."
Smith said that he wished the conversation took place over a phone call, but that he couldn't fault James for acting on his son's behalf.
"That wasn't a basketball player confronting me," the longtime ESPN personality said on "First Take."
"That was a parent. That was a father. I can't sit here and be angry or feel slighted by LeBron James in any way in that regard. By all accounts, he's obviously a wonderful family man and father. He cares very, very deeply about his son."
James and Wade are close friends after entering the NBA as part of the historic 2003 draft class, along with other legends like Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh. James, Wade and Bosh won back-to-back championships together with the Miami Heat, and they appeared in the Finals in four straight seasons.
Wade played most of his career with the Heat, with short stints in Chicago and Cleveland in between. He retired in 2019 as a three-time NBA champion, Finals MVP and a 13-time All-Star who made eight All-NBA teams.
Wade may be friends with both James and Smith, but it appears that the former Miami Heat star is choosing to side with his former teammate after he felt the need to defend his son.
Related: Nick Wright Takes Side In Stephen A. Smith, LeBron James Incident
