ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith apologized to LeBron James on Thursday after the forward led the Los Angeles Lakers to a comeback 116–112 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.
The Lakers overcame a 21-point deficit, thanks in large part to James. The four-time NBA champion outscored the Clippers himself in the fourth quarter 19–16. It was the biggest fourth quarter comeback in James’s nearly 21 years in the NBA.
The reason Smith felt the need to apologize is because he said the “Clippers going to bust their a-- tomorrow night” on Tuesday, ahead of Wednesday night’s game. Although he was referring to the Lakers as a whole and not James specifically, he wanted to highlight the 39-year-old’s incredible night.