Stephen A. Smith backs up 4× NBA All-Star calling out double standards around LeBron James' courtside face-off 

Over the past week, Stephen A. Smith has been one of the biggest topics in the NBA after his recent encounter with LeBron James. As the discourse around the face-off continues, the longtime analyst defended a former player's thoughts on the situation.

Following the LA Lakers' win over the New York Knicks Thursday, LeBron was seen visibly angry while speaking with Stephen A. courtside. This was reportedly over Bronny James following some choice remarks from the ESPN host earlier this year. The Lakers star can be seen telling Stephen A. to "leave his son out of this" when it comes to his coverage of the league.

Among the people to react to this postgame standoff between LeBron and Stephen A. Smith was DeMarcus Cousins. The four-time All-Star brought up one of his own past instances when he was suspended and fined for confronting a reporter. Stephen A. ended up re-sharing Cousins' post on X (formerly Twitter), agreeing with his remarks about the double standards.

"Ain’t nothing wrong with what @boogiecousins said here. I totally agree with him."

Cousins is referring to an incident that occurred back in 2016 while he was still with the Sacramento Kings. He approached a reporter in the locker room after a game regarding things that were written about him and his brother in a column. Upon further investigation over the incident, Cousins ended up receiving a $50,000 fine.

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Stephen A. Smith points out difference between DeMarcus Cousins and LeBron James' situations

While Stephen A. Smith did agree with what DeMarcus Cousins had to say, he feels his situation with LeBron James is a bit different. In a follow-up post, the NBA analyst defends himself for talking about Bronny James.

In his second post on X about the matter, Stephen A. cites that discussing Bronny is more reasonable than when the reporter brought up Cousins' brother. He reasons that the Lakers guard is playing in the league and sharing the spotlight with his father who is an all-time legend.

"…..except for one point @boogiecousins. Your family was NOT on an NBA roster, playing on the same team as his father, who’s one of the top-two players in history. But you point still has merit.#Respect!"

While LeBron James might not like it, Stephen A. Smith brings up a valid point. Seeing that Bronny is an NBA player and he is an analyst covering the league, he's allowed to talk about him. The 21-time All-Star was determined to make history with his son, but there are some drawbacks to that. One of them being the spotlight they have on them playing for the league's most iconic franchise.

Seeing that this encounter is still being discussed at length days later, it doesn't look like the dust will be settling on this situation anytime soon.