Stephen A. Smith “Disgusted at Cynics” Going After LeBron James and Bronny

History was made in the NBA today when LeBron and Bronny James shared the court during the Lakers’ preseason matchup against the Suns. This marked the first ever time that a father-son duo took to the court in an NBA game. While a majority of the community marveled at this feat and celebrated the moment, many were quick to hate.

Smith took to ESPN’s ‘First Take’ to discuss the historic moment, and to call out the people online spreading hate for what they saw. Calling them “cynics”, he said,

“I’ve been very disgusted by the cynics out there who’ve gotten at LeBron about this. I want to remind everybody who we’re talking about here. We’re talking about somebody where you can make a legitimate argument there is no one who has done more for the game of basketball in the modern era.”

Despite the historic milestone, narratives were being written about nepotism. The belief is that Bronny is only in the NBA because of his father. However, Smith argues that if there is anyone who deserves to have pull, it’s LeBron.

“[LeBron]’s earned the right to facilitate his son being a teammate of his… LeBron James has earned the right to have the kind of cache that could manipulate the proceedings to such a degree. This man is one of the top two-three greatest players in the history of basketball.”

LeBron has accomplished feats that no other player has been able to. He’s the league’s all-time leading scorer, breaking a record that stood for 38 years. He’s also top-10 in assists, steals, defensive rebounds, and three-pointers made, and leads the league in nearly every major statistical category in the playoffs.

James has brought a championship to each franchise that he has played on. According to Smith, LeBron has earned the right to play with his son because of how great he’s been.

Smith’s co-host, Shannon Sharpe, simply defined the moment between the father and son as “surreal”. The only other instance that the NFL legend could relate this moment to was with MLB stars, Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. A pairing that lasted for 1 year, from 1990 to 1991.

Of course, as is the case with almost every debate, there will always be people who will spread hate. LeBron, who is one of the most hated athletes online, is used to it by now, but the hate now spreads to Bronny as well.

With social media becoming a more important part of online NBA discourse, people have taken to sites like X to voice their opinions on Bronny, ranging from his skill level to how deserving he is of a spot on the Lakers roster.

Critics against the Bronny-LeBron pairing

Fans weren’t the only ones who refused to cherish this historic moment. There are many reporters and figures in the NBA community who were also disgruntled with Bron and Bronny sharing the court.

Anthony Irwin of Lakers Daily took to X to share his disagreement with Bronny’s status as a Laker. In one post he said, “Us acting like it’s something we should celebrate is weird.”

In response to Kirk Henderson saying the problem wasn’t Bronny’s draft as much as media outlets hyping him up beyond what he deserved, he went completely against Smith’s take, and simply disagreed with any nepotism being good nepotism.

Regardless of the opinion of others, the James duo made history. Bronny still has a lot to prove in the NBA, but for the time being there’s cause to celebrate the tremendous achievement.