For NBA fans, things just got real on the hardwood-and off it too. Dwyane Wade, the Miami Heat legend and three-time champ, is throwing his weight behind his old pal LeBron James in a heated feud with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith. The drama kicked off courtside at Crypto.com Arena on March 6, during the Lakers’ game against the Knicks, and Wade’s chiming in with a big “same!” to LeBron’s fiery confrontation.
It all started when LeBron, the Lakers’ superstar and four-time MVP, got in Smith’s face over comments about his son, Bronny James. Video footage shows King James inches from Smith’s nose, letting him have it-apparently over Smith’s critiques of Bronny’s NBA journey.
Fast forward to March 11, when TMZ Sports caught up with Wade in New York City. The 43-year-old didn’t hesitate to back his former teammate. “I would have walked up on him the same way,” Wade told Smith directly after the incident, per TMZ, making it clear he’d have mirrored LeBron’s move if his own family was in the crosshairs.
Wade, who won two titles alongside LeBron in Miami, knows a thing or two about loyalty. “I love both guys,” he said, showing props to Smith too, but his stance was firm-family’s off-limits. Smith, for his part, owned up to the tension on First Take the next day, saying, “That wasn’t a basketball player confronting me, that was a father.” He admitted he got LeBron’s frustration but wished it’d gone down privately. Still, Wade’s all-in with LeBron’s public approach, even suggesting the NBA’s all-time leading scorer deserves a statue somewhere prominent.
Wade supports LeBron’s Smith showdown over Bronny
The backstory? Smith’s been vocal about Bronny, the Lakers’ rookie drafted in 2024, questioning his spot in the league. LeBron, who’s made it a mission to play with his son, wasn’t having it. Wade, a dad of five himself, gets the protective vibe.
“Why is the narrative always so negative when it comes to this young man?” he once asked on his podcast, The Why With Dwyane Wade, calling out the media’s Bronny obsession. For Wade, LeBron’s reaction was a no-brainer-he’d have done the same, no question.
This feud’s lighting up X, with fans picking sides and memes flying. Wade’s support adds fuel to the fire, spotlighting the tight bond he and LeBron share from their Heat days.
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