"He’s like on a Taylor Swift tour run right now": LeBron James puts Stephen A. Smith on blast over infamous shot at Bronny James

LeBron James turned heads when he confronted ESPN mainstay Stephen A. Smith on the court in LA after their win over the New York Knicks on March 6. James took another shot at Smith on Wednesday when he said the sports analyst was taking full advantage of the publicity and missing James' message.

According to him and Smith, LeBron confronted the popular sports media personality regarding what was said about his son, rookie Bronny James. LeBron did not like the criticism being thrown his son's way by Smith and others, and he let Smith know about it after the game.

LeBron James appeared on Wednesday's "The Pat McAfee Show," in which he discussed with the former NFL punter Pat McAfee his issue with Smith. In James' opinion, Smith uses the confrontation to promote himself to his audience, taking things out of proportion.

"He's on a Taylor Swift tour run right now," James said. "It started off with 'I didn't want to address it, I didn't want to address it, but since the video came out, I feel the need to address it.'"

James called out Smith for embellishing the confrontation, using it to share his opinion with his fans and put himself in the middle of the action.

"Are you kidding me?" James said about Smith's reaction to the video of the two of them. "If there's anyone that couldn't wait until the video drops so you can address it, it's you."

James has spoken out about NBA coverage before. He is one of the most popular NBA players in league history and will be an all-time great when he retires. Smith is a legend in his own right, paving the way for sports media to become what it is today.

LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith clashed over the mantle of the "face of the NBA"

In addition to their confrontation at Crypto.com Arena at the beginning of March, LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith find themselves on opposite ends of another argument: the next face of the league.

Anthony Edwards, one of the more popular young stars in the league, was asked whether or not he wanted to be the next face of the NBA. He turned it down, and James defended his decision.

According to James, the mantle carries too much pressure and requires the player holding it to defend themselves from the constant negative attention given to them by the media. Smith, who has covered the NBA for decades, spoke out against both players, saying that being the face of the league is an honor, regardless of what comes with it.

Smith has been at the center of the conversation concerning how sports media outlets chose to cover professional sports, specifically the NBA and WNBA, but he believes that things shouldn't change because his audience wants to hear about the conflicts.