ESPN's Stephen A. Smith is at it again with his overly emotional tirades. However, this time around, the controversial sports anchor has uncharacteristically taken the side of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.
James is currently in hot waters after a video clip of himself sitting away form his teammates during a huddle continues to make the rounds in social media. Smith surprisingly came to the defense of LeBron, stating — in so many words, of course — that he believes the three-time NBA champion is anything but a bad teammate:
There are things you can criticize LeBron for, but being a bad teammate isn't one of them, @stephenasmith says. pic.twitter.com/X3o6xCSzea
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) March 18, 2019
Smith points out some valid arguments here, and when taken into context, it does seem that LeBron's seemingly innocuous actions have been blown grossly out of proportion.
This is definitely not the first time LeBron has sat by himself during a timeout, so to say that this is an indication of him not caring about his team or his teammates would be jumping the gun.
This certainly did not show in his performance on Sunday, as he pretty much carried a shorthanded Lakers side against the New York Knicks. James dropped a game-high 33 points on 11-of-26 shooting, along with six rebounds, eight assists, and a block.
Unfortunately, all his hard work would prove to be in vain as the Knicks emerged victorious in this one, 124-123. LeBron shouldn't go without some blame, though, as he went 4-of-15 from the field in the fourth quarter and got blocked by Mario Hezonja to end the game.
The Lakers' season has gone from bad to worse in the span of a few weeks, and at this point, the offseason just can't come any sooner.
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