“LeBron James Signed Up for This”: Matt Barnes Understands Why Lakers Star Lashed Out at Stephen A. Smith for Son Bronny

After the Los Angeles Lakers’ win over the New York Knicks last week, LeBron James walked up to Stephen A. Smith and confronted him for criticizing Bronny James. Their exchange has since sparked several heated debates. Some believe LeBron was justified in defending his son, while others think he overreacted.

SAS has, on multiple occasions, said on his shows that Bronny, despite potential, is not ready for the league yet. He has also blamed LBJ for feeding his own ego and pushing his son into a league where he doesn’t belong yet.  SAS was particularly scathing after the Lakers‘ loss to the underachieving Philadelphia 76ers in January, which saw an underwhelming outing from Bronny.

He also questioned LeBron’s parenting, which triggered the confrontation according to many. While many have come up in arms against James for it, former NBA star Matt Barnes has no doubts about where he stands.

Barnes wholeheartedly supports LeBron’s actions. He understands that King James must’ve felt the need to protect his son from media scrutiny. “As a father, he seen the dude, it brought the rage up and I’m gonna address that sh*t right where I’m at,” he said on a recent episode of ATS Unplugged.

The former forward also clarified that it doesn’t mean that LeBron considers himself above criticism. However, this wasn’t the same as being criticized for his game. “LeBron signed up for this…But it’s different, man, when you have your kids and your children,” Barnes said.

Whether LeBron was justified in confronting Stephen A. or not is a debate that will rage on. The only thing that is objectively true is that James has had enough of the media scrutiny of Bronny in such negative light. Ironically, in his attempts to stop that, he has only exacerbated it.

Bronny is working hard on his game

Bronny isn’t the best young talent in the league. And he, of course, wouldn’t be close to the kind of talent his father was. In fairness, no one really is. And this comparison with LeBron is what the main problem is with the intense negative coverage Bronny has faced since he was drafted.

But while the criticism continues, the rookie has put his head down to focus on improving his game. The results of his hard work are visible. He isn’t NBA ready yet, not many rookies in their first year are. But Bronny’s numbers in the G League prove he has what it takes to become a successful player.

In seven games so far, Bronny is averaging 13.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.

He fortunately still has a lot of time to grow and become NBA ready. And while he might not ever be a star, it would be enough if he turns into a productive role player.