LeBron James likes to keep it moving. Despite being the biggest name in the NBA for two decades, he has never been involved in scandals or off-court issues. While we wouldn’t categorize it as a scandal, that clean history is why his recent run-in with Stephen A. Smith on the court before a Los Angeles Lakers game seemed so out of character.
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LeBron was clearly upset with Smith about something. After the clip went viral, Smith, of course, addressed the interaction. According to the ESPN pundit, LeBron approached him to discuss his son and teammate (what a wild phrase that is), Bronny James, and how he was interpreting Stephen A.’s coverage of the youngster.
While addressing the kerfuffle, Stephen A. Smith was adamant that he was not criticizing Bronny James, but rather LeBron James for placing unrealistic expectations and pressure on his son. A father’s instinct to protect their son from criticism is completely understandable. But, as Channing Crowder pointed out, being LeBron’s son should not mean he’s “off limits” from receiving criticism like any other professional player.
“How can you look at this professional athlete—which Bronny is, I’ve seen him sitting on the bench where he should be. Sorry, Bron—and Stephen A. is saying exactly what everybody thinks, that’s the thing I hate,” said Crowder on The Pivot podcast.
The original video was taken from behind Stephen A. and facing LeBron, so while what he said exactly remains a mystery, we can see him saying it. However, some clever websites have enlisted expert lip readers to try and decipher that mystery. One for Men’s Journal concluded that he said, “I’ma tell you one time, bro. Keep my son out of this [expletive], bro.”
A more recent video of LeBron discussing the incident with someone on the court at a later Lakers game confirms that it was all about Bronny. James can be heard referring to a statement Smith made about him as a “father” as the tipping point that pushed him to confront the outspoken pundit.
“Once he talks about: ‘I’m pleading you as a father,’ I can’t.”
As we said, it’s totally fair for LeBron to feel protective over his son. But his son is no longer a boy or a student-athlete. He’s a man who is a professional basketball player. That means he should be open to criticism. Especially considering there is absolutely no argument to be made that Bronny didn’t benefit from nepotism to get his spot in the league.
He played just one year at USC, and he averaged under 10 points. Guys with so little college production are rarely drafted, but of course, LeBron’s Los Angeles Lakers selected him in the second round.
Bronny has averaged 4.2 minutes in 18 appearances for the Lakers this year. His 26/31/67 shooting slash line is far from impressive, so it really seems as though criticism is warranted. And it is even more warranted for LeBron, who argued that his son was better than a lot of guys in the NBA while he was at USC, thereby placing unrealistic expectations on the young buck that he has not been able to meet as a rookie.
Bronny has been a lot better during his 15 games playing for the Lakers’ G-League affiliates, the South Bay Lakers. He’s averaging 17.5 points, 4.6 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game on a much more palatable 41/33/75 shooting line.
