New leaked audio reveals LeBron James' real reason for confronting Stephen A. Smith over son Bronny

A leaked video of LeBron James discussing his confrontation with Stephen A. Smith has emerged and reveals the real reason behind the incident.

James and Smith clashed courtside before the NBA fixture between the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks at the Crypto.com Arena last Thursday.

'King' inspired the Lakers to an overtime victory against the Knicks, finishing with an impressive 31 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.

But the game was marred by James' explosive interaction with Smith, who upset the basketball legend following his comments about his son, Bronny James.

"I'm really, really trying to be as respectful as I possibly can be towards LeBron James, one of the top two or three players in the history of basketball," he said on ESPN's First Take.

"I am pleading with LeBron James as a father. Stop this. We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad."

The 40-year-old confronted Smith over his damning comments and scolded the TV personality in a video that went viral on social media.

On the incident, the 57-year-old revealed: "That was LeBron James coming up to me, unexpectedly I might add, to confront me about making sure that I mind what I say about his son.

"I can't repeat the words because they ain't suited for FCC airwaves."

On Saturday, the Lakers returned to action when they played the Boston Celtics .

Before tip-off, James had a conversation with former teammate and now-ESPN analyst Richard Jefferson about his confrontation with Smith.

He could be heard telling Jefferson, who may have been defending his colleague, that he doesn't have a problem with any criticism that Smith may have, but when he asked for Bronny's NBA career to end as a father, he couldn't tolerate it anymore.

James told Jefferson: "I know... Right, right, right. That's the only thing I'm tripping over. I don't give a f**k. Once he talks about, 'I'm pleading you as a father', I can't."

The footage has been viewed by millions on X as the beef between James and Smith rumbles on.