Amid his ongoing feud with LeBron James, Stephen A. Smith sparked controversy by claiming that the NBA superstar did not attend Kobe Bryant’s memorial service.
During a segment, Smith remarked that LeBron was fortunate he had never publicly addressed “why you were not at Kobe Bryant's memorial service” or “why you didn’t attend Dwyane Wade's Hall of Fame induction when that man was directly responsible for you capturing a championship for the first time in your career.”
However, while LeBron has never openly discussed his presence at Kobe’s memorial, sources close to the Lakers maintain that he deliberately stayed out of the camera’s view to grieve privately.
Following the backlash, Stephen A. took to Twitter to clarify his comments and issue an apology, "My apologies and clarification. I misspoke in Hour #1 of @FirstTake today when I intimated that LeBron did not attend Kobe Bryant’s memorial. I corrected myself in Hour #2 when I acknowledged he was indeed in attendance. My mistake. Should not have even broached that subject. It was not my main point. I retract NOTHING else that I said. Have a nice day!"
While Stephen A. corrected himself, the exchange has only added fuel to his ongoing tensions with LeBron.
Source: X
