LeBron James ruthlessly referenced Taylor Swift as his beef with Stephen A. Smith intensified after a video went viral.
The feud between NBA legend James and television personality Smith shows no signs of slowing down following their latest exchange, with things getting 'personal'.
Their rivalry stems from an on-court incident, with Smith revealing exactly what happened during the explosive confrontation.
A leaked video of James discussing his interaction with Smith later emerged, revealing the real reason behind the incident.
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Smith has since claimed he would have FOUGHT James if he was touched during their clash.
"Had that man put his hands on me, I would have immediately swung on him," he remarked. "I would have gotten my ass kicked... but I wouldn’t tolerate that."
The 57-year-old continued by defending his commentary, insisting he never insulted the player's son, Bronny James.
"I have not been sh*tting on his son,” he added, claiming that discussing Bronny’s development is not the same as personally attacking him.
He also dismissed the idea that his commentary was for attention but admitted he talks about big names like James because it's part of his job.
"Do I use him for ratings? You’re damn right," he exclaimed.
James swiftly replied to Smith's threat as he took to social media to post a clip of his rival throwing punches.
The 40-year-old brutally mocked Smith's boxing skills after saying he would've thrown hands if they got physical.
"He’s like on a Taylor Swift tour run right now," James said on The Pat McAfee Show.
"It started off with, ‘I didn’t wanna address it, but since the video came out I feel the need to address it.
"He couldn’t wait for the video to come out so he could address it.
"He completely missed the whole point. The whole point.
"Never would I not allow people to criticise what they do on the court, that is your job...
"When you take it and get personal with it, it’s my job to not only protect my household, but protect the players."
He added: "The media, including him, he’s gonna be happy as hell, smiling from ear-to-ear when he hears me talking about him.
"He's gonna get home, grab some ice cream out of the f**king freezer and sit in his chair, in his tidy-whities.
"Relax bro. Relax."
Topics: Lebron James, Stephen A Smith, NBA, Basketball
Nasir Jabbar