The Pat McAfee Show just delivered the most unfiltered look at LeBron James we've seen in years, with the 40-year-old maybe-the-NBA-GOAT opening up about everything from his relationship with Kobe to the infamous Pat Riley cookie ban. 

Over 90 minutes, King James dropped F-and-truth bombs on everything from his relationships with Michael Jordan ("We don't talk"), joked(?) about the NBA manipulating drafts, and yes—served up a silly and petty description of Stephen A. Smith eating ice cream "in his tighty whities." 

Never one to stay silent, ESPN's $100 million man fired back with a 40-minute YouTube response of his own, calling out the Lakers superstar and claiming King James "doesn't like smoke, he just likes to give it." 

Here are 25 bombshell moments from the interview (and 10 quotes from Stephen A’s wild response).

From LeBron's interview on The Pat McAfee Show.

• On Stephen A. Smith: "He’s going to be happy as hell, he’s going to be smiling from ear to ear when he hears me talking about him. Oh my God, he's going to get home and grab some ice cream out of the [--] freezer and sit in his chair and his tighty whities on the couch."
• On his relationship with Michael Jordan: "We're in a good spot. We don't *talk*. …  Because I’m still playing. Think [it’s because] I’m still playing, I’m still focused on my craft right now. I would hope [we’d speak more when I’m done]."
• On finding his path: "I’m living in Section 8 housing,it’s me and my mom and, you know, we trying to figure it out and I’m like, ‘Oh [--], if I commit to this, I can figure it out. I could figure it out for not only myself but for my mom. Get out of the inner city and make something out of it."
• On his relationship with Kobe Bryant changing when he came to LA: "The funny thing is, me and Kobe—the late great Kobe, obviously—me and Kobe never had a real relationship either until we was on the Olympic team. We had a great relationship there—Olympic team '08, Olympic team '12—but it was always competitive between us. We were always like—I was on the east coast, he was on the west coast. And until I became a Laker and then he retired, that's when our relationship became really, really good. He welcomed me, called me like, ‘Bro, anything you need in LA, I got you. You a Laker now, you family.’”
• On Giannis playing in past eras: "Giannis Antetokounmpo would have 250 points in a game in the 70s."

• On the league manipulating the NBA Draft: “Listen, man—during the ball drop, during the lottery drop *Cleveland* got the number one pick? That's—I just don't think that was…. What a coincidence! ‘Let's keep LeBron home. You know what Patrick Ewing to the Knicks. You know, Derek Rose to the Bulls.’ I understand the assignment, guys.” 
• On Pat Riley banning cookies from team flights: "And then one flight I got on, I looked at them and they looked at me and I'm like, 'Oh, those - that look didn't look familiar.' And I asked them, 'Do we got the-' He was like, 'No, there are not allowed to have anymore cookies on these flights.'"
• On his childhood inspirations: "The inspiration that [Jordan] gave me as a kid in Akron, Ohio that don’t have much inspiration in your home town—you look at something. Somebody in sports, somebody in music, somebody on the TV screen, so like: Will Smith from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Michael Jordan playing for the Bulls, Jay-Z, Biggie, and Tupac. That was my inspirations."
• Jokingly on JJ Redick: "JJ is just a podcaster that for some odd reason became a head coach and all because of me. It's just the weirdest thing in the world…those conversations have died down."
• On media criticism crossing lines: "When you take it and you get personal with it, it's my job to not only protect my damn household but protect the players."

• His car analogy for basketball eras: "Evolution is just a part of life. Like, [--], you look at the Hummer from the 1970s to the Hummer of today..you might be nostalgic about it and you loved it in the ‘70s but do you really want to drive that every day right now in 2025? You’re going to get out the car and your [--] neck and your back is going to be hurting so bad."
• On critics who played basketball: "Those guys that played the game…it was just while they were talented. I don't think they ever *thought* the game. I don't think they were ever smart."
• Being compared to legends at 17: "It was like 'Will, Kareem, Magic, Bird, Jordan' all these first-name guys. And then at the end it was like 'LeBron' and I'm like, '[--], I'm 17 years old.' I was like, 'What the hell is this? You guys are giving me this already?’”
• What would happen if Kyrie played in previous generations: “They would have told Kyrie—you know how they used to tell Lew Alcindor at the time that he couldn’t dunk in high school games? They would have told Kyrie, 'You're not allowed to dribble anymore.'"

• On a fan encounter after "The Decision": "They used to have these ‘F-U-K L-B-J’ t-shirts... they see me, they say, 'Uh, oh my [--]’ God.' 'No, listen, this is— we love you so much man. We're just here for the spectacle.'"
• On accusations of flopping: "I am like, literally over the last five-six years when everybody's been claiming I flop all the time, I'm like in the bottom half of free throw attempts per game."
• What teammates tell him about referee calls: "When I used to play against you I used to think you got every [--] call and I hated it. And now that I'm your teammate it's like, 'Oh my goodness, you don't get any calls.'"
• Describing his Miami move: "I felt like this was my college moment. I didn't go to college. So going to Miami was my moment to basically get out the house with my parents."
• His message to Luka Dončić: "He has to fit out and we'll figure it out. Let us figure it out with you because we need you to be who you are."

• On media coverage after "The Decision": "I’m doing everything I need to do on the court. I’m not out in the streets. I’m not being caught in all the [--] that doesn’t respect the game or respect my craft. They was like, 'Oh, you decided to go on TV and make a decision for your career? We got you. We finally got it. We finally got a little chink in the armor—it's selfish. He’s selfish…'"
• LeBron's hilarious weight range: "I'm give or take in between 215 to 280. I don't know. Depends on the day. Depends on whether you give me my cookies or not."
• His appreciation for Rajon Rondo: "And then you look at the big four that Boston had. Everybody talk about the big three, but everybody always decides for some odd reason that Rondo wasn't as great as Rondo was. It's always just the big three. Rondo was a dog. He brought it all."
• His insight on mental preparation: "You got to take care of your body, but more importantly you got to take care of your mind. Being a professional athlete, if your mind is not as sharp as possible or as clear as possible, then you're not going to be able to perform at a high level."
• On leaving Cleveland the first time: "That final season it was like, ‘I’ve maximized this potential. I've squeezed all the juice out of this damn lemon here and I know it. And in order for me to get to where I want to get to, I have to make a choice for my career going forward.’ And Miami was the best choice at that moment."
• His specific cookie preferences: "Soft, with a little crispy edge."

Here are 10 quotes Stephen A. Smith’s response video.

• Responding to LeBron's "tighty whities" comment: "Tighty whitey's comment was funny cuz I don't wear tighty whities. Let you figure out why that is, but moving on from that particular subject."
• Claiming LeBron is lying: "And I just want to say for the record: LeBron James is full of it. And in this particular instance as it pertains to his son, he is a liar, and he went on national television today and he lied again."
• On if LeBron would have hit him: "I would have gotten my ass kicked because had that man put his hands on me, I would have immediately swung on him. Immediately. That I'm not going to tolerate."
• His perspective on Bronny: "I think Bronny's going to be an NBA player. I believe in the kid, personally."
• On Savannah James: "I think Savannah is the first lady of the NBA. I think she's an absolutely wonderful human being that has always been nothing but kind to me."

• On the source of truth: "But don’t the truth matter? There’s one person in this ordeal who’s telling the truth—and it’s me. I don’t lie to y’all—his ass lies a lot. And there's a lot of shady stuff that he does. And one of the things is his passive aggressiveness and the two-facedness and smile in your face and dig you in behind the back. And I happen to know that about him, which is why I don’t like him."
• On LeBron's criticism of Brian Windhorst: "Nobody, I repeat, nobody defends LeBron James more than that man. And look at what LeBron James did."
• His surprising fondness for LeBron's Miami era: "Nothing's more special than South Beach and that brother had me at South Beach four consecutive Junes. I was grateful to LeBron James."
• On never again speaking: "I got nothing to say to him now. We'll probably never speak in life again."
• His complex feelings on LeBron's legacy: "I'm looking forward to covering him as his career slowly crawls to its end. And I'll be one of the first thanking him for the greatness he's put on display as a basketball player. I, like everybody else, will miss him when he's gone."