Stephen A. Smith Says He Would Have Punched LeBron James If Dispute Got Physical

Stephen A. Smith says he and LeBron James could have been the next Will Smith and Chris Rock ... if things got physical during their infamous courtside quarrel.

The TV host just hopped on his podcast and responded to LBJ dissing him on Wednesday's episode of "The Pat McAfee Show."

Stephen A. says if LeBron would have put hands on him when he confronted him at Crypto.com arena, "I would've immediately swung on him. Immediately."

The ESPN analyst also joked such a scenario would have been like Will slapping Chris at the Oscars ... and said he would have got his butt kicked if things escalated to physical violence.

Stephen A. and the King have been beefing over Bronny James ... with LeBron coming to his son's defense earlier his month and taking things up personally with Stephen A. during a Lakers game.

LeBron says Stephen made his criticism of the James family personal and that's why he confronted him courtside.