ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith Squarely Blames LeBron James for Media Scrutiny of Bronny James

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith went on a long rant Tuesday morning regarding Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James’s Monday night tweet, which has since been deleted, asking for the media to leave his son, USC player Bronny James, alone when it comes to his NBA future.

Smith felt that James didn’t have the right to make the argument, as he believes the four-time NBA champion is at fault for why the media is so intrigued about where his son could possibly land.

“This is all his fault—all of it,” Smith said on First Take. “Let me be very delicate, I’m not joking around, I’m not playing. I’m going to be very serious. ... When we get to Bronny James, that kid has done nothing but work hard and try to get on this game and all this other stuff. Any attention that he’s warranted has been because of his daddy.”

"You're gonna tweet about folks needing to leave your son alone? ... You did that. LeBron is entirely and completely culpable for any kind of critique coming in Bronny's direction."

—@stephenasmith on LeBron's recent comments about Bronny pic.twitter.com/zOtoY7zRNr

— First Take (@FirstTake) February 27, 2024

Smith then went on to explain why fans want to hear about the young James’s potential landing spots: It all has to do with James repeatedly stating how he wants to play with his son in the NBA. He even teased that he would be willing to move to whichever team picks up his son.

“When you’re LeBron James and you put the word out that you want to be with him, and you put the word out that you want to play with him and you put the word out that you’d be willing to go to any NBA team that picks him up, knowing the power of LeBron James and how influential he can be, now you got to wonder what team would draft Bronny James just so they can get LeBron James at age 40 or 41,” Smith continued.

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The young James started his first collegiate season late as he was recovering from cardiac arrest he suffered in the summer. He started in December coming off the bench, but has since started in six games. He’s averaging 5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 20.2 minutes per game.