Jan 29, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts after a play during the third quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
LeBron James was criticized by the media on Friday, and ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith responded by criticizing James. Embiid was criticized by James.
James objected to Embiid’s criticism for missing games due to a knee injury. James claimed on X that when the center of the Philadelphia 76ers sustained a knee injury against the Golden State Warriors, nobody was accepting responsibility or offering an apology to him.
When attacking TV shows and podcasts, Smith stated on “The Stephen A. Smith Show” that James should “watch his mouth” because “The Shop” is not labeled a “dumba– show.”
“Why are you lying, LeBron James? Who discussed Joel Embiid and raised concerns about his injury? Joel Embiid was selected third overall in the previous round and had an injury that kept him out of action for his first two seasons of play, according to Smith. “Over the course of his career, he has sustained numerous injuries. Throughout his career, he has had iffy knees. How in the heck are you discussing this?
He’s history of injuries, as we all know. He sustains injuries frequently. As the NBA MVP right now, he is. His left knee meniscus tear was the cause of his ailment, which occurred on Tuesday night. What Joel Embiid has been going through was nothing new to anyone. Some said, “Damn, you never play in Denver, but when (Jonathan) Kuminga fell on your left knee on the court against Golden State, somehow, someway, you were on the court.”
The argument put forth was that had you been able to play in Golden State against the Warriors, you could have also played a few days earlier against Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets, the current NBA champions, which you hadn’t played in Denver since 2019.” You visit Denver once a year. They haven’t had the chance to watch Joel Embiid perform live, thus.”
It was their contention that, had you been able to play in Golden State against the Warriors, you could have also played a few days earlier against Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets, the defending NBA champions. You see, you hadn’t played in Denver since 2019.” Thus, they are deprived of the chance to witness Joel Embiid perform live.”
