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LeBron James recently blasted the media for the scrutiny surrounding his son, Bronny James, after he was dropped from ESPN's 2024 Draft Board. Stephen A. Smith has now responded to LeBron's comments, and he believes the Los Angeles Lakers superstar only has himself to blame for the attention that the media has given Bronny.
"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. The kid has done nothing but work hard, try to get on his game, and all of this other stuff, any attention that he's warranted has been because of his daddy.
Smith believes LeBron repeatedly saying he wants to play with Bronny in the NBA is why there is scrutiny on his son.
"You've put the word out, that you want to be with him," Smith continued. "And you put the word out that you want to play with him and you put the word out that you'll be willing to go to any NBA team that picks him up. Knowing the power of LeBron James, how influential he can be, now you got to wonder what team would draft Bronny James just so they could get LeBron James at age 40 or 41."
The 56-year-old says that brings up the question of just how good Bronny is, and it is all because of LeBron's comments.
"LeBron is entirely and completely culpable for any kind of critique coming in Bronny's direction at this juncture," Smith stated. "And it's not wrong. I'm not saying it's a crime. I'm just saying, own it. It's you. It's not the media. That's LeBron."
(starts at 0:52 mark):
Smith basically called LeBron a hypocrite for criticizing the media over this. He wants James to own the fact that he is responsible for the attention on Bronny. Perhaps LeBron realized that as well, as the 20-time All-Star deleted his posts on X. You can check them out below if you missed them.
LeBron then sent a message to all young players that these mock drafts don't matter.
In an ideal world, Bronny would just be left alone. He is a 19-year-old who is still finding his feet after suffering a cardiac arrest in July 2023. It was always going to take time for Bronny to get back to his best, and he is currently averaging just 5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 0.7 steals per game for USC this season.
LeBron's comments have ensured, however, that he won't be left alone and will be scrutinized. Smith brought up how James has stated in the past about wanting to play with Bronny, but that's not all.
Last year, LeBron stated that Bronny is already better than some NBA players. This was when the teenager was still in high school and it was a bold claim to make. Even after he suffered that cardiac arrest, LeBron has continued to make statements along these lines. Earlier this year, James claimed Bronny could easily play for the Lakers right now.
You can never blame a parent for hyping their child, but when they go a step too far, the media will inevitably focus on the kid. It is what has happened with Bronny and it is somewhat hypocritical on LeBron's part to blast the media considering the role he has played here.
More must-reads:
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