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Stephen A. Smith Blames LeBron James for Ruining NBA Dunk Contest in Two Minute Rant Over Lakers Star
Stephen A. Smith is one of the most popular personalities when it comes to talking about the game of basketball. However, he is also known for his controversial takes which divides opinions.
Stephen A. Smith is one guy who never minces his words when he has an opinion about something and is outspoken every time.
The famous ESPN TV personality didn’t hold back about his disappointment with the 2024 NBA All-Star Game and the whole weekend. He also blamed LeBron James.
He said, "They need to do away with All-Star Weekend. Simply discard it."
Smith was upset about the game because he thought it was a "travesty" and there had been a lack of defensive intensity and effort.
Smith drew attention to the sharp contrast between the All-Star Game's drab performances and the level of competition displayed in regular season and postseason play.
He stated that NBA players ought to play harder, even during exhibitions, stressing the significance of putting forth at least some appearance of effort.
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Stephen A. Smith calls out LeBron James
After refusing to "participate" in the NBA Dunk contest since entering the league, the 56-year-old said angrily that James is to blame for "ruining" the competition.
On Monday's episode of the well-liked ESPN program First Take, Smith went into detail.
For the segment, he was joined by cohost Molly Qerim, former NBA player Kendrick Perkins, and guest analyst Shannon Sharpe.
Molly asked the panelists what they thought the NBA should do with the dunk contest to get the conversation going.
Smith attacked James, blaming the NBA legend for the problems.
The veteran ESPN commentator stated that while he thinks James has had an incredible career, there is a black mark on his resume because he did not compete in the dunk contest like other legends.
Molly and Sharpe disagreed. However, Stephen A. Smith continued by saying, "LeBron James is directly responsible for ruining the slam dunk contest."
Smith went on to emphasize that former players like Dominque Wilkins, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant competed in and won the competition.
"I'll even stop talking about the GOAT debate because I'm that serious about this, Shannon. If you will listen to me.
"It stopped when LeBron James said, 'I'm not doing it.'
"The stars that came after that didn't feel forced to give the slam dunk competition priority because of the established custom,” according to Smith.
Smith didn’t stop there. He said that he felt that James was "rubbing it in people's faces" with his routine before the game.
James can be seen dunking and going hard at the rim often.
Following Smith's outburst about James, NBA fans flocked to X with comments and reactions.
One fan wrote: Folks blame LeBron for everything.
'He should have gone to atleast one slamdunk contest,' wrote another fan.
One fan wrote: 'this take is horrible.'
It was fairly easy to see that most of the fans disagreed with Stephen A. Smith's statement about LeBron James.
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