Stephen A. Smith dubs LeBron James as most 'disrespected' current athlete minutes after ripping Lakers' superstar for deleting tweet

In a recent edition of the show, "The Stephen A. Smith Show," Stephen A. Smith was asked which athlete is the most disrespected and Smith gave an interesting answer.

Smith said he thinks LeBron James is the most disrespected athlete. Given that he's accomplished so much, the media always has something to say about the star.

"Of all the disrespected athletes I could point to," Smith said. "Believe it or not, despite the fact that I cna be critical sometimes, I'd go with LeBron James.

"The level of appreciation we should have for him and his greatness, we dont' give him enough credit. We can say that, what I appreciate the most out of him is his conditioning, he should be an inspiration to all of us."

Being the biggest star in the league for quite some time, James has often found himself in the crosshairs of the media. The LA Lakers star can't seem to escape being the talk of the town wherever he goes.

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Stephen A. Smith criticized LeBron James for deleting tweet regarding Bronny James

ESPN recently updated their NBA mock draft board for the 2024 draft class. They removed Bronny James and placed his name in the 2025 draft class. What's even more interesting is that he's still projected to be selected in the second round, the 39th pick.

After this went viral, LeBron James aired his frustration about it on X. He demanded that his son should be left alone and that he should be allowed to enjoy his time with the Trojans. The four-time champion has since deleted the post, but his followers and the members of the media were already exposed to the post.

Smith reacted to James' deleted social media post early in his show.

"LeBron is entirely and completely culpable for any kind of critique coming in Bronny's," Smith said. "Direction at this juncture. And it's not wrong. I'm not saying it's a crime. I'm just saying, own it. It's you. It's not the media. That's LeBron."

James hasn't addressed his deleted post.