Amidst reports of Kyrie Irving asking for a trade out of Cleveland, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith claimed that not only does LeBron James want Irving out, he would be tempted to “beat his [expletive]” were the two to see each other. James took to Twitter on Tuesday morning to deny this claim:
#NotFacts people! ?Boooo!! Get another source. ?????. #EnjoyingMySummer #YouDoTheSame ??? https://t.co/XvfRWKWdur
— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 25, 2017
Stephen A. Smith is widely regarded as a pot-stirrer who will say just about anything to boost his show’s ratings. Thus, it is unsurprising that he used this as a chance to promote his show:
Just saw @KingJames tweet about ME. See y'all on The Stephen A. Smith Show on ESPN Radio (SiriusXM Channel 80, 98.7FM ESPN NY & 710 ESPN LA)
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) July 25, 2017
I'll be on at the top of the damn hour Mr. @KingJames. That's all I have to say until then.
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) July 25, 2017
Irving has been with the Cavs since 2011, when the team drafted him first overall. James has been back with the team since 2014 after leaving them for the Miami Heat in the summer of 2010.
