Stephen A. Smith claps back at LeBron James over his tweet targeting NBA reporters
LeBron James is currently out with a foot injury and no one knows when he will return. The LA Lakers superstar has been sidelined since late February, but fans are hoping that he will return soon.
Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania, two prominent insiders, recently revealed that James could return for the final week of the regular season. However, James claimed that this was not the case and that he had no target date for his return. The four-time NBA champion also said that he spoke for himself.
Stephen A. Smith, another prominent member of the media, joined the conversation, clapping back at LeBron.
Stephen A. Smith takes a shot at LeBron James for not speaking for himself
Stephen A. Smith is well known for stirring the pot. He's talked about LeBron James numerous times, which is why it's no surprise that he's decided to get involved in the latest controversy.
Here's what the basketball analyst said on "First Take":
"LeBron, it's not like you always speak for yourself though. That's not true. Don't lie. There's plenty of people who speak for you. Kendrick Perkins and I hear from them constantly."
Stephen A. Smith took a shot at LeBron, who wasn't a big fan of the latest report by Wojnarowski and Charania.
"God bless y’all sources," LeBron tweeted. "I speak for myself!"
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It will be interesting to see what happens with the LA Lakers forward. He claims that he had no evaluation and that no target date has been set for his return. However, this does not mean that he will not return for the final few games of the season.
The LA Lakers need LeBron to return as soon as possible
Whether LeBron James speaks for himself or not, one thing is clear: He's one of the best basketball players and the Lakers need him to return as soon as possible.
Despite being 38, James is still dominant and is averaging 29.5 ppg. He's had several fantastic performances in the 2022-23 season, including five 40-point games.
LeBron has appeared in 47 games this season and the Lakers have won 24 of them. However, they are currently 36-37 and ninth in the Western Conference. They haven't secured a playoff spot yet, but they have nine more games to play.
You may be interested in reading: LA Lakers Playoffs chances: Current standings, fixtures ahead, and more as of March 23, 2023
The Lakers have an identical record to three other teams in the conference. However, they are also only 2.5 games behind the fourth spot, which could be achieved if LeBron James returns.