Stephen A. Smith Says LeBron James Isn’t Feared By His Peers

Stephen A. Smith has certainly had his fair share of hot takes when it comes to LeBron James over the years. While he isn’t the kind of hater Skip Bayless is, he is still someone who will level fair criticisms against the superstar if he feels like there is a need to. For instance, Smith called for LeBron to get suspended yesterday after his altercation with Isaiah Stewart of the Detroit Pistons.

Last night, it was announced that LeBron would, indeed, be suspended, and it turned out to be a large discussion on First Take today. During the segment, Smith spoke about LeBron’s lack of ability when it comes to striking fear in his opponents. As Smith revealed, many around the league aren’t scared of LeBron and they feel like he isn’t the same fearsome player that Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant was.

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“In my estimation, from the people that I’ve spoken to covering the league, [LeBron] has never been feared,” Smith said. “With LeBron, you believe you can take him. You believe he can be had.”

This is a take that has been shared in the past in regards to LeBron, however, James’ former teammates Kendrick Perkins came out and said this was false. “That’s a damn lie @stephenasmith as a former player that were on multiple teams that had battled against Lebron James I beg to differ! Btw I don’t think Isaiah Thomas and those Bad Boys Piston feared Jordan. Stop it and Carry on,” Perkins said.

Of course, this is something that will be highly debated, so sound off about it, in the comments down below.