Nothing riles up Stephen A. Smith more than his beloved Knicks—and a seemingly personal attack on his profession. Friday’s episode of First Take included some extra pep and pizzazz from the ESPN analyst after Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James called out members of the NBA media while talking about Anthony Edwards and the face of the league chatter.

James' hard-hitting statement reached famed analyst Stephen A. Smith, who spared six minutes of First Take to answer the Lakers captain.

ESPN analyst Stephen A Smith calls out Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James for his comments about Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards on being the face of the NBA and the responsibility that comes with it.

The conversation around the NBA's declining ratings reached a fever pitch during All-Star Weekend earlier this month. As fans continued to criticize - and tune out of the game - members of the sports media have tried to figure out how to fix things.