Overview
- Stephen A. Smith, speaking on his SiriusXM show, told Charles Barkley to "do better" and said Barkley ignored the substance of his critique of LeBron James.
- Charles Barkley had defended James on The Steam Room podcast and accused Smith, Jason Whitlock, Cam Newton, Ryan Clark and Matt Barnes of turning the Memphis discussion into race.
- Smith said his concern was that James talked about moving the Grizzlies to Nashville in a city that is about 63% Black and relies on the team for local jobs and business.
- James had said on the Bob Does Sports show that he dislikes road trips to Memphis and Milwaukee and that he would not stay at a Hyatt in Memphis on a regular-season night.
- James later told reporters he was talking about hotel and travel preferences rather than residents, as several outlets also noted that Smith made similar knocks on Memphis last year.