Fox News Duped By Fake Story Involving LeBron James That Was Tweeted By an Account Called ‘Ballsack Sports’
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
On Tuesday, FoxNews.com reposted an article published by Outkick that ridiculed former NBA forward Josh Smith over an alleged comment he made about LeBron James.
According to the – [checks notes] – Ballsack Sports account on Twitter, Smith, who debuted a year after LeBron, supposedly said,
It’s a different game back then, much more physical. I don’t think he has the jumpshot or skills to really consistently dominate defenses then as he does today. There’s so much more spacing in today’s game. We had 2-3 guys on a star player on any given night. Nothing was easy.
Again, the source for the “quote” is Ballsack Sports.
Outkick writer Gary Sheffield Jr., who – in case you are wondering – is indeed the son of former major leaguer Gary Sheffield, wrote a very earnest rebuttal to the fake Josh Smith quote.
“It’s called jealousy,” wrote Sheffield. “Want me to prove it? That early 2000s NBA Smith alludes to that ‘didn’t have as much space as today’s game’ is largely because of players, like Josh Smith, lacking skill.”
In the piece, which FoxNews.com ran with, Sheffield even acknowledged that the careers of Smith and LeBron pretty much overlapped. James is still active, of course. Smith’s last season was 2017.
“And let’s not forget Josh Smith just said ‘back then’, that implies he played in an era prior to LeBron James,” Sheffield continued. “That’d be false. Smith was drafted in 2004 — otherwise known as the year AFTER LeBron James. Perhaps he’s just upset James worked at his game and continues to dominate in year 18 while Smith plays in Japan or whatever the hell he does with his time these days.”
Smith played in the Chinese Basketball Association during the 2016-17 season. For the record, China is not Japan.
Outkick and FoxNews.com removed the article from their websites. The Fox News link leads to a 404 page that informs readers, “Something has gone wrong.”
Truly.
After its “story” got picked up, Ballsack Sports had a grand old time relishing in the moment.
