Stephen A. Smith recently revealed to Carmelo Anthony on his 7 PM in Brooklyn show, “Richard Jefferson is doing a game in Boston. Still mic’d, he’s working for ESPN, and we see LeBron say to him, ‘Yo man, when he said as a father, I had it.’” Smith was referring to the infamous March 6th incident at Crypto.com Arena- and he didn’t hold back, accusing LeBron James of staging that third-quarter moment.

The revelation came shortly after Smith inked his new five-year, $100 million deal with ESPN, and it immediately stirred the pot. But Richard Jefferson? He’s not here for the chaos. Jefferson caught wind of Smith dragging his name into the mix and brushed it off in typical RJ fashion. “Yo, will you leave me out of this! My name’s been in it, and I ain’t in it,” he said, before tossing in a playful jab. “Anyways, Stephen A., you’ve got a big forehead.”

Richard Jefferson’s stuck in a tricky spot, caught in the crossfire of Stephen A. Smith’s relentless feud with LeBron James. LeBron isn’t just a former teammate to Jefferson- they’re tight, bonded by their 2016 NBA championship run with the Cavaliers and a friendship that’s still rock-solid.

When Smith name-dropped Jefferson on the Pivot podcast and the 7PM show, referencing a private chat to fuel his latest tirade against LeBron, it put Jefferson in an awkward bind. Nobody wants to be the guy forced to pick sides, especially when it’s between a close friend and a colleague like Smith.

They often appear together on ESPN, on First Take. It makes for an awkward situation for Jefferson, a non-relevant party in the situation.

And this isn’t new behavior for Richard Jefferson. Shortly after Stephen A. Smith appeared on Gil’s Arena, LeBron James made headlines for choosing to appear on Pat McAfee’s show- which conveniently airs right after Smith’s program.

That decision sparked criticism from both Kendrick Perkins and Smith, who accused LeBron of doing it out of spite. But Jefferson came to LeBron’s defense, arguing that it wouldn’t have mattered which platform he chose- the reaction would’ve been the same.

He even admitted that when LeBron joined his own podcast, Road Trippin’, it boosted the show’s reach too, highlighting that players naturally help any platform they appear on.

But speaking of what Smith said, he made some bold accusations against LeBron James. One stood out. “I believe he’s one way publicly, he’s another way privately.,” he said about the Lakers star.

There aren’t any statements about James being two-faced from his peers. They often have positive things to say. However, a recent report seems to add some weight to Smith’s assumption.

LeBron James drove Russell Westbrook out of LA?

The Ringer’s Yaron Weitzman came out with a blistering report around LeBron James’ name. Going back to when Russell Westbrook was with the Lakers, he claims he fell out with the Lakers because of James being ‘fake’.

Notably, publicly, LeBron James never criticized Westbrook despite his underwhelming performances. However, behind the scenes, the 40-year-old also wanted the Lakers to go after Kyrie Irving, which was only possible through trading Westbrook’s contract. Likewise, Weitzman claims this really upset Westbrook.

During a Summer League before their second season as teammates, the two never spoke once. A lot of the other Laker players reacted with the Akron Hammer that night. But Weitzman’s report claims a meeting with Will Smith drove Russ over the edge. The former MVP reportedly said, “I hate that fake shit,” after witnessing LeBron James’ apparent changed behavior.

So far, nobody part of the story has directly addressed the report from Weitzman. But the news has picked up flame. Do you think anybody will speak about this report? Let us know your views in the comments below.