January 30, 2025
Stephen A. Smith Pleads With LeBron James To ‘Stop’ Giving Bronny Preferential Treatment
'We love what we’re seeing from him in the G League because that’s where you belong as you hone your skills'
One sports analyst pleads with Los Angeles Lakers player LeBron James to “stop” the nepotistic move with his son, Bronny, in having him play in the NBA games when he still needs to improve his basketball skills in the G League.
ESPN firebrand Stephen A. Smith, who rarely minces words, has publicly asked LeBron to “stop this.” The spotlight has been on Bronny due to him being LeBron James Jr., and sports fans saying that the only reason Bronny is on the team is because his father pressured the Lakers to select him with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. His lackluster play in his only year in college at the University of Southern California was underwhelming. Yet, he was given a standard, guaranteed contract when most people felt he didn’t deserve it.
Smith made his plea on a recent episode of “First Take” directly to LeBron in directing his thoughts about how Bronny is getting special treatment simply because of his lineage to the future NBA Hall of Famer.
“I am pleading with LeBron James as a father: stop this. Stop this,” Smith said. “We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad. The first game of the season, opening night, the Griffeys in attendance, a father-son duo playing in an NBA game for the first time, an absolutely, positively incredible story. And then reality sets in.”
He then tells the NBA father that his son should be honing his skills in the G League because he isn’t yet NBA-ready based on his stats (0.3 points per game, 0.4 rebounds, 0.3 assists, a 6.3% shooting percentage) and poor performance on the NBA court. He has been playing much better with the South Bay Lakers, scoring a career-high 31 points in a recent G League contest.
“We love what we’re seeing from him in the G League because that’s where you belong as you hone your skills and you get better and you legitimately earn, which I believe he has the potential to do; I am rooting for Bronny James, it would be cruel to root against him. He’s a wonderful kid; I wish him nothing but the best. But he’s LeBron James’ son, and everybody knows what attention that brings.”
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