LeBron James’ son, Bronny, has struggled in his rookie NBA season and Stephen A. Smith has been critical of the 20-year-old.
Stephen A. Smith has hit back after being contacted by people close to LeBron James over his take on Bronny (Image: Getty)
TV personality Stephen A. Smith has sparked a debate with his recent comments on LeBron James’ son, Bronny, and the perceived “sensitivity” from the basketball star’s inner circle. After being drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2024 NBA Draft, Bronny has faced scrutiny over whether his place in the league is due to his father’s fame.
On “First Take,” Smith pointed out that while Bronny has had a challenging start, averaging just 4 minutes, 0.6 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0.4 assists over 14 games, he has shown potential in the G League.
Smith suggested that Bronny should spend the remainder of the 2024/25 season there. However, following Smith’s critique, Klutch Sports allegedly reached out to him regarding his comments about LeBron as a parent, which led to Smith addressing the issue on his podcast.
He expressed frustration with the reactions from LeBron’s camp, stating, “You know, I was on first take my day job on ESPN earlier this morning,” and continued, “I spoke about this, and I felt the need to elaborate even further because a couple of people texted me and pissed me off, and they know who they are.
“People close to LeBron James talking to me about questioning him as a father. Come on y’all. I mean, it’s got to a point where this LeBron sensitivity is just beyond the pale.”
“Do you want it this way? LeBron? Do you want it this way, Rich Paul? Do you want it this way? He can’t go into the G League and average 20, 25 and stay there until he’s ready. Because he’s LeBron’s son, you know how they’re going to judge him.
“And before anybody wants to jump on me, remember, I never saw Bronny James play until he showed up in the NBA and the G League. I refuse to watch him because if I watch him, I would have to talk about him. And I didn’t want to talk about LeBron James’ son because I thought it was so unfair to the kid. He’s such a wonderful kid. Wonderful family.”
Bronny James has been subject to criticism in his debut NBA season (Image: Getty)
“I’m not here to tell you that he won’t be ready. I’m not here to tell you that he won’t be an NBA player,” Smith later admitted. “I’m not here to tell you that he should give up his dreams and his aspirations. I think the kids got potential. I think the kid will be in the NBA one day. I watched him in the G League doing his thing. I think he’s going to be fine eventually. But that’s not the case yet. And because it’s not the case yet.”
Reflecting on Bronny’s development as compared to his acclaimed father, Smith noted, “And then you see some of these numbers. I do find myself looking at LeBron James instead of Bronny James because LeBron is the basketball savant. LeBron is one of the top two greatest players in the history of the game. LeBron has forgotten more basketball than most people would know. So no matter what we think about Bronny, he knows more.”
