After 22 years, LeBron's still performing at the highest level. That said, in today's media environment, no amount of success will block out criticism. It's just the reality of our digit age. When everyone has a voice, you're going to hear a lot of negative voices.

After LeBron James's recent comments about toxic behavior on social media and what he sees as unfair media coverage, Stephen A. Smith offered a nuanced take on the situation. While acknowledging some of James's points about the cruelty of social media, the ESPN personality pushed back on LeBron's broad characterization of media criticism.

"I believe he's right, there's a lot of weak people on social media. There's a lot of people who hide behind social media to spew, and to spread, and disseminate their venom. Point taken."

However, Smith then quickly pivoted to address what he saw as oversimplification of the issue.

"[He's] not wrong, it's just not complete... Last time I checked there's former players that are in the media, there are former players that have their own podcast... so when people talk about the national media, that annoys me."

Smith took issue with James's blanket criticism of media coverage:

"You listen to LeBron and there's this impression that it's 'the media, the media, the media.' There's several layers to all of this that's not being told. No.1, what's your definition of negativity? If you shoot 2-20 and somebody said 'you played like hot garbage last night,' was that negative? Was that factual?"

It's understandable for James to be upset. Whether it's people claiming that he lied about his enthusiasm for Dalton Knecht, or the ceaseless ridicule of his son Bronny, LeBron's immense fame comes with a cost. Smith understands this, but still thinks it's important to draw a clear line between criticism and coverage:

"If I'm celebrating you when you play well, but I'm pointing out when you play bad, that's just me covering the game."

The veteran analyst also reminded viewers that media scrutiny isn't new, saying, "There was a time long before social media arrived where you saw people nationally and locally getting into peoples' personal business... When you just label the national media in that regard without being specific about who you're talking about, that's a negative stigma that I think should be challenged."

It's nice to see Smith, who's often written about for his blunt takes on current events, providing a nuanced perspective. Ultimately, LeBron's decision to leave social media is his alone and bears little importance to our lives. However, his decision is sparking some interesting examinations of the age we live in.