Stephen A. Smith is rarely at a loss for words, but his daughter managed to put him in that position this week. The ESPN personality welcomed his teenage daughter Samantha to co-host his YouTube show, expecting some lighthearted family banter.
Instead, the conversation took an awkward turn when Samantha admitted she once had a crush on Bryce James, the younger son of LeBron James.
“I remember Bryce James, he’s a great player, but there’s Bronny too,” Samantha said. “I remember I used to have the biggest crush on Bryce James like a year ago, so it was really awkward when there was a lot of beef.”
Her comment struck a nerve because Smith has his own history of tension with LeBron.
A complicated history with LeBron
Smith and the Lakers star have traded barbs in the past, with their disagreements most visible during last year’s debate surrounding Bronny James.
The analyst has also long rejected the idea of LeBron being basketball’s greatest of all time, standing firm in his belief that Michael Jordan holds that title.
“We don’t get along and there are a multitude of reasons why,” Smith has said of his relationship with LeBron. “I’ve alluded to some of them, but we know what the biggest reason is. I ain’t Shannon Sharpe, it ain’t GOAT status this way. My GOAT is Michael Jordan.”
That backdrop made Samantha‘s confession all the more awkward, especially given her father’s outspoken stance on the James family.
Although Samantha hinted that her comments were more playful than serious, the exchange quickly went viral. Fans flooded social media with jokes about the moment, many noting how it was one of the rare occasions when Smith, usually quick with a fiery response, seemed completely out of his comfort zone.
For Smith, it was an unexpected twist on his own show. For fans, it was comedy gold – a moment where one of sports media’s loudest voices had nothing to say.
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