STEPHEN A. Smith has called out LeBron James after the Los Angeles Lakers attacked the media for their coverage of Joel Embiid’s injury struggles.
The Philadelphia 76ers center and reigning NBA MVP suffered a meniscus injury, which will require surgery and all but ends his hopes of claiming the award for the most valuable player again.
Embiid, 29, faced criticism for sitting out the matchup with the Denver Nuggets due to knee soreness on January 27.
It marked the fourth time he missed a direct clash with his MVP rival Nikola Jokic in Denver — and the Sixers would later receive a fine for not including their star on the injury report beforehand.
The seven-time All-Star returned to the court three days later to face the Golden State Warriors and seemingly aggravated his knee problem after a collision with Dubs forward Jonathan Kuminga.
As reports of Embiid’s setback emerged, James, 39, blamed the NBA media for pressuring the Sixers center to play while hurt.
“Where are all the media outlets, TV media personalities, hot takes that talked so much s**t about Joel Embiid about missing those games when he knew what he was dealing with,” he wrote on X.
“Now he’s out with an injury because of it. Not 1 person has went back on TV or their dumba** podcast and apologized to that MAN!! No accountability.”
Stephen A., 56, responded to LeBron on his Stephen. A Smith Show over the weekend, slamming the four-time NBA champion for creating false narratives.
“A couple of things. Number one, we saw The Shop,” Smith said.
“Nobody called that a dumba** show. Why don’t you watch your mouth? Because it isn’t a dumb*** show.
“I’m gonna give you respect for it, even when we disagree with you, LeBron.
“Number two, LeBron James, why you lying? Who talked about Joel Embiid and questioned his injury?
“Joel Embiid was drafted number three overall years ago and missed the first two seasons of his career because of an injury. He’s been injured multiple times throughout his career.
“He’s had questionable knees his entire career. What the hell are you talking about?
“We all know that he has an injury history. He’s injury-prone.”
Stephen A. said that the criticism Embiid received was centered on the fact that if the Sixers star was fit enough to play against the Warriors, he could have faced Jokic and his Nuggets two days earlier.
The ESPN analyst and First Take star pointed out that Denver fans hadn’t had a chance to watch the reigning MVP in action since 2019.
That argument, Smith continued, didn’t equate to accusing Embiid of faking his injury.
“Nobody was questioning the legitimacy of the injury he suffered,” the sportscaster said.
“What they were saying is that he hadn’t suffered that injury until he got fell on by Kuminga during the Warriors’ game.
“But prior to that, he was working out pregame in Denver and then was pulled off the court.
“So, tell your facts, ‘new media.’ Tell the facts. Tell the whole story.”
Because of his injury, Embiid won’t meet the 65-game threshold required to be considered for the 2024 MVP award.
However, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Sixers star’s return this season is not ruled out.
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Source: CNN
