Stephen A. Smith beams in surprise as Shannon Sharpe slams LeBron James' 'selfish' All-Star sportsmanship

LeBron James faced a lot of backlash this weekend when he announced that he'd be a late scratch to Sunday's All-Star Game. Following his decision to bow out late, even one of his longtime supporters spoke out against him on national TV.

Since transitioning into a career as a TV analyst, Shannon Sharpe has always spoken highly of LeBron. However, following his antics over the weekend, the NFL Hall of Famer changed his tune. Sharpe went on "First Take" Monday morning and said what he did was selfish and cost someone like Norman Powell an All-Star nod.

Knowing that Sharpe is a strong supporter of LeBron James, Stephen A. Smith sat in awe as his co-host sounded off on the LA Lakers star. He then applauded him for his stance on the situation.

"I'm just so proud of my boy Shannon Sharpe," Stephen A. said. "I know he got a lot in him, I didn't know he had that in him. Selfish, LeBron, oh my lord did you bring it this morning."

The league announced that LeBron wouldn't be playing around 90 minutes before tipoff, leaving Shaquille O'Neal's squad down a person. Despite being shorthanded, this squad still managed to take home the trophy in the newly formatted All-Star Game. Shaq's team took down Charles Barkley's in the finals, with Steph Curry being awarded All-Star Game MVP.

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Kendrick Perkins also sounds off on LeBron James for his late scratch in the All-Star Game

Shannon Sharpe was not the only one of Stephen A. Smith's co-hosts to speak out against LeBron James. Kendrick Perkins also reacted to the news when he found out the Lakers forward wouldn't play due to a foot injury.

The former Boston Celtics big man didn't wait for TV as Sharpe did. Instead, he went right to social media with his thoughts on the decision. He and Sharpe shared a lot of the same points, stating that LeBron should have announced this sooner. They also both brought up Norman Powell as someone who could have been a replacement.

"Could have said this earlier. Norman Powell could have made his first All-Star appearance. SMH"

As Perkins mentioned, LeBron James removing himself earlier on could have allowed Powell to get his first All-Star nod. He has been more than deserving this season, putting together a career year for the LA Clippers. With Powell's production being an outlier compared to his entire time in the NBA, there's no telling if he'll be in a position like this again.

With the All-Star Game gone now, there isn't anything LeBron or the league can do now to rectify the situation. Nonetheless, he is sure to continue receiving negative comments for his decision.