The Truth Behind LeBron, Kobe, and Stephen A. '28

EPISODE 223: Fact-checking.

Kobe Bryant’s memorial service happened live, inside Staples Center, in front of more than 20,000 fans and the world, on February 24, 2020. The same day my daughter was born.

Which is to say that I missed the broadcast that day, entirely.

I did not appreciate how Beyoncé performed, and Jimmy Kimmel hosted, and Michael Jordan spoke, and the people behind the Grammys produced it as an A-list celebration.

But then a seemingly basic question became a key plot point — a mystery — in the ongoing national feud between LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith:

Was LeBron there?

I should immediately make clear, as we make clear in this episode, that I’m not interested in this question because I believe LeBron should or should not have attended. Even though this exact topic, I am told, has consumed the Lakers organization, behind the scenes, for a half-decade.

I’m interested in this question as a matter of fact-checking.

I’m interested because this topic is draped in so many layers of fandom, fear, concern-trolling, and media illiteracy that a series of conspiracies and false claims have continued, largely unexamined, for a half-decade. In the middle of a debate about truth. Propped up by Community Notes and national outlets.

And so I ask you to listen to the reporting I share with our guests today — Tim Miller and Wyatt Cenac — at the outset of this episode.

From there, we’ll get to the original reason I convened this special exploratory committee: to analyze the results of a new Rasmussen Reports poll… exclusively commissioned by Pablo Torre Finds Out… in which more than 1,000 likely American voters were asked about the political ambitions of Stephen A. Smith.

It’s a lot.

YOUTUBE SPOILER ALERT:

Sincerely,

Pablo

P.S. If you’re unaware of my previous life as a Sports Illustrated fact-checker, somehow: I talked about that, and more, with Rich Eisen, on my visit to Los Angeles a couple weeks ago: